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YouTube’s new Creator Studio has left beta and is now set the default studio for all users. It’s laid out much differently and has a lot more features and analytics for you to peruse.

The Dashboard

The dashboard isn’t too useful in its current state. Right now, it just shows how well your latest video is doing, as well as an overview of your channel is doing. There are more cards for YouTube news and its Creator Insider newsletter, which feels like it’s just taking up space.

Hopefully, YouTube will add more cards and the ability to customize the dashboard in the future. Until then, you’ll likely want to move further down the sidebar to find anything useful.

The New Analytics Page

Perhaps the biggest and best change in the new studio, the Analytics page is a significant upgrade from the awful analytics YouTube used to have. The old analytics were not very detailed and took a day or two to update. The new analytics update mostly in real time, faster than the video’s view count. Anything that isn’t real-time updates by the hour, except for revenue which usually takes a day to figure itself out.

The overview page is the first thing you’ll see. This shows basic stats about your channel in a graph over time. The default period is “Last 28 Days,” but you can change the timeframe from the menu in the top right corner.

The graph itself is split into four tabs, which you can switch between as you choose. All of the other analytics pages are laid out the same way, with multiple graphs about each topic. You can also hover over the graph to view the specific stats for that day.

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Winter is coming. No, wait, winter is here. No, that happened already: winter is here and so are tons of magic frozen zombies. Yeah, that’s the one. Anyway, here are some gifts for Game of Thrones fans!

The final, climactic season of HBO’s smash hit fantasy series is almost upon us. If you’re looking for some gifts to give a die-hard fan on your way to a weekly watch party, we have you covered. The choices below range in both price and application (hint: don’t buy whiskey for alcoholics and don’t buy real swords for clumsy people), but you should be able to find something awesome for almost any Thrones fan.

Licensed Game of Thrones Alcohol ($13+) Diageo

Game of Thrones is a very Grown Up series for Grown Ups, and nothing goes with political intrigue, gratuitous violence, and hardcore nudity like hard alcohol. There’s a surprising amount of beer, wine, and spirits available to fit the theme. Diageo has no less than eight different themed whiskeys representing the show’s great houses and the Night’s Watch, and there are three vintages of wine (red, chardonnay, and pinot noir) on sale. More of a beer drinker? There are over a dozen options from different breweries, though some may not be in active production at the moment.

Check out Game of Thrones Whiskeys Game of Thrones Glassware ($30+) Game of Thrones

If you’re going to be doing a bunch of drinking for a TV show binge, you might as well make your glasses fit the theme. There are wine glasses, beer glasses, and even elaborate tankards and steins if you really want to get into the period feel of things. Note that you want to follow those links directly for the officially licensed versions: there are a lot of cheap printed glasses just grabbing quotes from the show.

Buy on Amazon Game of Thrones What Do You Meme Expansion ($12) What Do You Meme

One of the most fun parts of being a Game of Thrones fan is sharing images and GIFs online, and the What Do You Meme game makes an excellent match with it for house parties. The base game has players matching more general images with captions, but this officially licensed expansion adds in some of the most often-shared character shots from the series. It’s a great group game, assuming everyone in your home knows the difference between Yara, Yohn, and Ygritte.

Buy on Amazon Sculpted Dragon Egg Candles ($28) Game of Thrones

There’s no electric lighting in Westeros, except possibly in Qyburn’s Frankenstein lab. So to set the correct ambiance, you’ll want candlelight. And what candles could be better than this matching set of wax dragon eggs (by the old gods and the new, Season One was a long time ago). The iconic eggs from the opening chapter of the series make a fun and affordable gift at under thirty bucks.

Buy on Amazon McFarlane Game of Thrones Figures ($26) McFarlane

If you prefer your dragons grown up (spoiler alert), famed action figure maker McFarlane has a series of meticulously detailed dragons ideal for a toy shelf or desk. Drogon the big black dragon is the bigger of the two, but if you’re caught up on last year’s episodes you might want (and this one actually is a SPOILER ALERT, don’t click if you’re not current) this model of Viserion sporting his 2019 regalia. McFarlane also has more conventional figures, all under thirty bucks, or you can get Dark Horse’s official statues if you want something bigger and more elaborate.

Buy on Amazon Official Game of Thrones Valyrian Steel Swords ($250+) Valyrian Steel

For the fan who loves the visceral combat scenes of the series, only the real deal will do: screen-accurate replicas of the most famous swords in the show. Note that these are meant primarily as display pieces, but they’re also actual swords that can be sharpened and wielded, so they might not make good gifts for a recipient with children in the house (or one who lives in a country or municipality that frowns on bladed weapons). Valyrian Steel sells officially licensed swords, plus accessories like scabbards and wall mounts, armor, and even more exotic weapons like spears and warhammerers, all based on the props used by characters in the show.

Buy Valyrian Steel Swords Direwolf Puppy Plushes ($20-70) Factory Entertainment

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Fatmawati Achmad Zaenuri/Shutterstock.com

The rm and  rmdir commands delete files and directories on Linux, macOS, and other Unix-like operating systems. They’re similar to the del and  deltree commands in Windows and DOS. These commands are very powerful and have quite a few options.

It is important to note that files and directories deleted using rm and rmdir do not get moved to the Trash. They are immediately removed from your computer. If you accidentally delete files using these commands, the only way you’ll be able to restore them is from a backup.

How to Remove Files with rm

The simplest case is deleting a single file in the current directory. Type the rm command, a space, and then the name of the file you want to delete.

rm file_1.txt

If the file is not in the current working directory, provide a path to the file’s location.

rm ./path/to/the/file/file_1.txt

You can pass more than one filename to rm. Doing so deletes all of the specified files.

rm file_2.txt file_3.txt

Wildcards can be used to select groups of files to be deleted. The * represents multiple characters and the ? represents a single character. This command would delete all of the png image files in the current working directory.

rm *.png

This command would delete all files that have a single character extension. For example, this would delete File.1 and File.2, but not File.12.

rm *.?

If a file is write-protected you will be prompted before the file is deleted. You must respond with y or n and press “Enter.”

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April Fools’ Day used to be fun, but no longer. It’s a day of cringe-worthy jokes, fake press releases, and bad pranks that break services like Gmail. Everyone should follow Microsoft’s valiant lead and put a stop to it.

How April Fools’ Day Has Gotten Worse

April Fools’ Day seems to get worse every year. And no, we don’t think it’s just us getting old. The way the Internet works—and the way everyone from tech companies to news websites approaches April Fools’ Day—is fundamentally different.

The BBC’s famous 1957 hoax showed spaghetti being harvested from trees. Sure, maybe this fooled some people, but it was funny. With a bit of knowledge or research, you could discover that this just wasn’t physically possible.

The spaghetti piece aired on the BBC on April Fools’ Day and didn’t become a segment that aired over and over throughout the year—unlike online, where you can stumble into fake articles months later and be misled before realizing they were published on April Fools’ Day.

The Internet is different now. Tech companies often “announce” products that could actually be real—but they aren’t, because it’s April Fools’ Day!

Of course, to make things extra confusing, crazy announcements on April Fool’s Day can be real. Gmail was famously announced on April Fools’ Day in 2004, and people thought it was fake because there was no way Google could offer 1 GB of email storage. After all, Hotmail only offered 2 MB (0.2% of Gmail’s storage) at the time. So is it any surprise when people believe Google might actually announce a lawn gnome with Google Assistant, or an app store for pets, or even self-driving bicycles? People expect companies not to deceive them with fake press releases, and it’s easy to overlook the date—especially when you find that story days or weeks later.

It’s not just about misleading stories. Some pranks get in the way and cause problems. Google’s 2016 Gmail “mic drop” prank added a button to Gmail that archived the current email thread, muted it, and sent an animated GIF of a Minion. Many people accidentally clicked this button—and Gmail sometimes accidentally activated the feature even if you didn’t click it! Suddenly Gmail just muted one of your email threads so you won’t see any replies—what a funny prank, right?

April Fools’ Day all used to be in good fun, but, when tech companies tamper with the tools we all use and cause problems, it’s time to draw the line—or, as Google might put it, drop the mic.

Google

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For Their April Fool’s Day Prank In 1965, The BBC Claimed They Could Wirelessly Transmit What?

1. Beatles' Concert Tickets
2. Smells
3. Candy
4. Shillings

Think you know the answer?

Everyone loses data at some point in their lives. Your computer’s hard drive could fail tomorrow, ransomware could hold your files hostage, or a software bug could delete your important files. If you’re not regularly backing up your computer, you could lose those files forever.

Backups don’t have to be hard or confusing, though. You’ve probably heard about countless different backup methods, but which one is right for you? And what files do you really need to back up?

It’s All About Your Personal Data

Let’s start with the obvious: what do you need back up? Well, first and foremost, you need to back up your personal files. You can always reinstall your operating system and redownload your programs if your hard drive fails, but your own personal data is irreplaceable.

Any personal documents, photos, home videos, and any other data on your computer should be backed up regularly. Those can never be replaced. If you’ve spent hours painstakingly ripping audio CDs or video DVDs, you may want to back those files up, too, so you don’t have to do all that work over again.

Your operating system, programs, and other settings can also be backed up. You don’t have to back them up, necessarily, but it can make your life easier if your entire hard drive fails. If you’re the type of person that likes to play around with system files, edit the registry, and regularly update your hardware, having a full system backup may save you time when things go wrong.

The Many Ways to Back Up Your Files

There are many ways to back up your data, from using an external drive to backing up those files on a remote server over the Internet. Here are the strengths and weaknesses of each:

• Back Up to an External Drive: If you have an external USB hard drive, you can just back up to that drive using your computer’s built-in backup features. On Windows 10 and 8, use File History. On Windows 7, use Windows Backup. On Macs, use Time Machine. Occasionally connect the drive to the computer and use the backup tool, or leave it plugged in whenever your home and it’ll back up automatically. Pros: Backing up is cheap and fast. Cons: If your house gets robbed or catches on fire, your backup can be lost along with your computer, which is very bad.

• Back Up Over the Internet: If you want to ensure your files stay safe, you can back them up to the internet with a service like Backblaze. Backblaze is the well-known online backup service we like and recommend since CrashPlan no longer serves home users, but there are also competitors like Carbonite and MozyHome. For a low monthly fee (about $5 a month), these programs run in the background on your PC or Mac, automatically backing up your files to the service’s web storage. If you ever lose those files and need them again, you can restore them. Pros: Online backup protects you against any type of data loss–hard drive failure, theft, natural disasters, and everything in between. Cons: These services usually cost money (see the next section for more details), and the initial backup can take much longer than it would on an external drive–especially if you have a lot of files.

• Use a Cloud Storage Service: Backup purists will say this isn’t technically a backup method, but for most people, it serves a similar enough purpose. Rather than just storing your files on your computer’s hard drive, you can store them on a service like Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or a similar cloud storage service. They’ll then automatically sync to your online account and to your other PCs. If your hard drive dies, you’ll still have the copies of the files stored online and on your other computers. Pros: This method is easy, fast, and in many cases, free, and since it’s online, it protects you against all types of data loss. Cons: Most cloud services only offer a few gigabytes of space for free, so this only works if you have a small number of files you want to back up, or if you’re willing to pay for extra storage. Depending on the files you want to back up, this method can either be simpler or more complicated than a straight-up backup program.

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Which Planet Has Only Orbited The Sun Once Since It Was Discovered?

1. Jupiter
2. Neptune
3. Uranus
4. Mars

Think you know the answer?

Kostenko Maxim/Shutterstock.com

Gardening is a satisfying hobby for so many reasons—your outdoor space looks great, you’ve helped cultivate new life, and you even get some crops or flowers in return. We’ve checked out the best subscription boxes for gardeners so that your green finger endeavors are even more successful.

Every gardener has different aims in life. You might be keen to make it your main way to spend your free time throughout the year, or you might prefer to simply dabble in the pastime. We’ve got different subscription boxes in mind for such occasions. There’s also room for those enthusiasts who don’t have the space at home to cram everything in, and those that are more avid chefs than they are gardeners.

Here’s our pick of the best subscription boxes currently out there.

Best For The Seasonal Approach: PlowBox ($45 per quarter) PlowBox

If you’re keen to maintain your garden all year round, even though the cold months, then PlowBox is perfectly geared towards your needs. Each quarter, it provides subscribers with relevant items that suit the time of year well.

Simply tell the service your garden’s climate and things are well attuned to your requirements. There’s even a handy explanation of what’s meant by a cold climate or even a tropical climate, so you don’t have to think too hard about what PlowBox could mean. Boxes contain things like seeds, informative guides on how to maintain your land at that time of year, as well as little extras like soaps or tools.

All the seeds are organic and come from Seattle Seed Company so you know you’re getting high-quality products. There are also member discounts for other products throughout the year.

Subscribe to PlowBox Best For The House Plant Gardener: House Plant Box (From $12 per month) House Plant Box

Are you a keen gardener but you don’t actually have a garden to maintain? Subscribe to House Plant Box and you can feel like you’re part of the action. Each month, you’re sent in-season houseplants specially chosen from the company’s greenhouses. Depending on which type of subscription you choose, this can be a selection of indoor house plants, air plants, or some succulents.

$12 per month gets you the basic package with premium monthly plans available for $30 per month and providing a larger assortment of plants. In all cases, you get detailed care guides, plus occasional surprises like fertilizer, planters, or terrariums. Pet owners can also opt to receive only pet-friendly plants each month so there’s no risk there.

It’s an ideal service if you want your home to look great but you don’t have the time (or inclination) to go looking for plants yourself.

Subscribe to House Plant Box Best For The Gardener With Limited Space: Urban Organic Gardener ($9.99 per month) Urban Organic Gardener

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Josh Hendrickson

Waking up can be hard, but Alexa can make it easier. Alexa won’t make you any less sleepy or drag you out of bed, but it can make your morning routine much more efficient.

Routines For Weather, Traffic, Lights, and Snoozing

If you’re like a lot of people, you wake up (eventually), try to catch some news, check your email, get dressed, figure out weather and traffic conditions, and get coffee (maybe even breakfast!) before leaving for work. It’s a lot to get done, and it probably doesn’t help that you hit the snooze button three or four times—even though you swore yesterday was the last time you would ever do that again.

What if you could at least make your mornings more productive? Instead of having to pull out your phone to check news, then weather, and then traffic, you could have a routine take care of all of that. If you have smarthome tech, you could even consider rolling in routines to bring up the lights, turn on the coffee maker, and warm up (or cool down) the house. With a few delayed routines, you can even bring up lights slowly, like a sunrise clock.

If you want to take things a step further, you could add Echo buttons to your routines and give you a physical object to slap that will snooze Alexa, like alarm clocks of old. We’ll show you how to put together some morning routines to make getting out of bed more bearable—or at least save yourself some time in the morning.

Putting the Routine Together

Creating morning routines will follow similar steps to any other routines you’ve created. Open the Alexa app, and then tap the hamburger menu.

Tap “Routines.”

Tap the Plus (+) button in the upper right-hand corner to create a new routine.

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What Subtle Message Does Mars Rover Curiosity’s Wheels Leave Behind?

1. (JPL) Jet Propulsion Lab
2. (RDB) Ray Douglas Bradbury
3. (CES) Carl Edward Sagan
4. (NASA) National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Think you know the answer?

Jason Fitzpatrick

I really love wireless charging, but I don’t love packing multiple wireless chargers when I travel. The Unravel travel charger from Ampere makes it simple to pack light. Now that AirPower is dead, it’s an even more compelling product.

At CES 2019 I got a chance to take a peek at the Unravel in person and was really impressed with the design. While everyone was waiting for AirPower to arrive, here was this company with not just a triple charging pad but one that could fold up to pack and even transform. With the hot-off-the-press news that Apple’s AirPower project is dead, the Unravel looks better than ever.

The project was then a successful Kickstarter gearing up for distribution and is now available for purchase on Amazon so everybody can get in on the clever design without a trip to CES or playing the Kickstarter lottery. But should they get in on it? Let’s take a look at the design and features of the Unravel.

What It Is: A Jacob’s Ladder for Your Gadgets

When you first unpack the Unravel it looks a lot like a Jacob’s Ladder toy, folded up and waiting. Like a Jacob’s Ladder the design is pretty clever (but far more useful for our modern needs).

The charger is three separate 10w wireless charging panels all hinged together and powered by an included 60w USB-C charger. All three panels offering Qi wireless charging which you can use with any Qi compatible phone including the iPhone 8 and above, the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S10 lineups, the Google Pixel 3, as well as Qi-compatible accessories like these wireless AirPod cases and Apple’s own wireless charging case. In addition to that, one of the panels is not only a general Qi-compatible charging pad but will also charge your Apple Watch.

In the most compact form, it looks like this:

Jason Fitzpatrick

When completely folded up as it is in the photo above the charger is still fully functional, but only the top charging pad is operational. This position is handy if you don’t need to use all the pads or you want to drape your Apple Watch over it (if you’ve got a particularly stiff curled band that just won’t lay flat). Speaking of that, it’s a great design choice to put the one panel that supports the Apple Watch at the top of the stack like this so you’re able to use the charger, in the “single stack” mode, the way you want.

Jason Fitzpatrick

The second way you can use the charger is to completely unfold it flat. In this position, you can charge three devices be it three different phones or a mix of phones, an Apple Watch, and other accessories like the AirPod wireless charging case.

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Apple first announced AirPower in 2017 with a projected release in 2018. But that time came and went with nary a word from Apple. Now, despite several reports and rumors to the contrary, the project has been canceled.

In a statement to TechCrunch, Apple Senior VP of Hardware Engineering Dan Riccio cited the inability to meet Apple’s strict standards the reason for the cancelation.

After much effort, we’ve concluded AirPower will not achieve our high standards and we have cancelled the project. We apologize to those customers who were looking forward to this launch. We continue to believe that the future is wireless and are committed to push the wireless experience forward.

The timing on this is pretty wild because just two weeks ago speculation was running wild about when—not if—Apple would finally announce its release. Some sites even went as far as to speculate that it would be released on March 21st or 22nd, at the end of a long week of Apple announcements.

It’s clear that Apple had every intention of releasing the product because it was referenced on product packaging as late as the newly-updated AirPods, which were released just last week. Crazy.

Nintendo, WD, Samsung

It’s Friday, and the weekend is just a day away. If your last few weekends have been filled with daydreams of external storage devices and Nintendo Online, then you should take a second to comb through these deals.

In case you’re unaware, March 31st is World Backup Day, an (un)official global holiday. This historic holiday is dedicated to those who routinely back up their files on external drives and cloud storages devices. It just so happens that we have a couple of great deals on at-home cloud storage devices, like the $90 3TB WD My Cloud Home and the $510 8TB Synology DiskStation.

If you aren’t interested in backing up your files at a discount, that’s fine. We’ve got some other killer deals that should tickle your fancy. Right now, Twitch Prime and Amazon Prime members can get 12 months of Nintendo Online for free, which is pretty ridiculous. If you’re in the market for smartphones and smart accessories, you should check out the $200 Galaxy S8, or the $200 Apple Watch Series 3.

Laptops, External Storage, and Computer Accessories

Need a new laptop? Some external storage? A new keyboard? We’ve got the deals for you.

• HP Touch-Screen Laptop, $400 ($130 off) [Best Buy]
• Huawei Matebook D Laptop, $530 ($100 off) [Microsoft]
• Lenovo Legion Gaming Laptop, $1460 ($85 off with coupon EXTRA5) [Lenovo]
• Dell Alienware Notebook, $1099 ($450 off) [B&H]
• Up to 64% off Logitech Keyboards and Mice [Amazon]
• Synology DiskStation 8TB External Storage Device, $510 ($40 off) [B&H]
• WD My Cloud Home 3TB External HDD Refurbished, $90 ($69 off with coupon code STARTSPRINGWD) [WD]
• CrazyTalk Animator 3 Pro, $60 ($120 off with coupon code DN25) [StackSocial]
• NETGEAR R6700 Dual Band Wi-Fi Router, $89 ($41 off) [Amazon]
• Samsung 1TB SSD, $133 ($35 off with coupon code EMCXTWVE2) [Newegg]

Phones, Headphones, and Smartwatches

Grab a new phone, some AirPods, and an Apple Watch at a discount.

• Samsung Galaxy S8 Unlocked Refurbished, $200 ($200 off) [eBay] (Editor’s Note: Make sure to read the fine print on this one)
• Moto X 4th Gen Unlocked, $130 ($80 off) [Amazon]
• Google Pixel 1 32GB Unlocked, $105 ($495 off) [Walmart]
• Apple Watch Series 3, $200 ($100 off) [eBay]
• Apple AirPods With Charging Case, $136 ($114 off) [Massgenie]
• Bose QuietComfort 35 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones, $260 ($90 off) [Massgenie]
• JBL Everest 310 Bluetooth Headphones Refurbished, $48 ($152 off) [JBL]

Video Games

Grab your free Nintendo Online subscription, or buy a discounted copy of a popular game.

• Nintendo Online 12 Months Free w/ Twitch Prime/Amazon Prime Membership [Twitch]
• $60 Nintendo eShop Gift Card, $55 ($5 off) [Newegg]
• Valkyria Chronicles 4 Nintendo/PS4/Xbox One, $35 ($65 off) [Amazon]
• Dead or Alive 6 PS4/Xbox One, $50 ($10 off) [Best Buy]
• Metal Gear Solid V PS4, $12 ($8 off) [PlayStation Store]
• Psychonauts PlayStation, $2 ($8 off) [PlayStation Store]
• Risk of Rain 2 PC BOGO, $20 ($20 off) [Steam]
• TCL 32″ 720p LED HD Roku Smart TV, $125 ($42 off) [Walmart]

Everything Else

Need a smart light switch or a Dyson fan? We’ve got the deals for you.

• Pelican Rechargeable Flashlight, $40 ($35 off) [B&H]
• Bestek 350W Smoothie Blender, $16 ($24 off with coupon code FORPRO60) [Bestek]
• imuto Echo Dot Battery, $38 ($24 off with coupon code STPR5HUG) [Amazon]
• LIFX Mini White Wi-Fi Smart Bulb, $3 ($20 off with coupon code SMART10) [Amazon]
• TP-Link Kasa Smart Light Switch, $30 ($10 off) [Amazon]
• InnoGear 150ml Aromatherapy Diffuser w/ 6 Essential Oils, $17 ($10 off) [Walmart]
• Dyson Pure Cool Fan Refurbished, $160 ($139 off with coupon code DYSN40) [Rakuten]

Good deals don’t last forever. If any of these deals catch your eye, be sure to jump on them before it’s too late.

By default, PowerPoint slides use a widescreen format in a 16:9 ratio. If you’d like to change it to the standard format (4:3 ratio), or even create a custom size, PowerPoint provides a quick and painless way to make this happen.

Resizing PowerPoint Templates

Resizing the slides in PowerPoint will affect the way they appear during the actual presentation and how they appear on the handouts. Go ahead and open up the presentation that we will be resizing and select the “Design” tab.

Next, click the “Slide Size” button.

A menu will appear, allowing you to choose between the “Standard” format (4:3) or the “Widescreen” format (16:9). If you’re switching over to the standard format without any other changes, you can select it from the menu, and the changes will take effect. If you want to do a little custom tweaking to tailor the size to your specific needs, then select “Custom Slide Size.”

In the Slide Size window that appears, clicking the box under “Slides sized for” (1) will open a menu with several different options. Choose the one that best matches your needs. Alternatively, you can customize the dimensions of the slides by entering the slide size in the “Width” and “Height” boxes (2). Finally, you can choose the orientation of your slides and handouts by selecting “Portrait” or “Landscape” (4) in the respective section.

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Happy Friday, guys and gals! While Apple and Microsoft have been quiet for the last day, there’s a little bit to talk about in Google-land. But the biggest news? Office Depot has been duping users. And it makes me sad.

Google News: Gmail on iOS Finally Gets Gestures

Google has a new game, Gmail on iOS gets gesture-ized, and Photos is getting some document storing chops. All this and more!

• YouTube TV is available in every US TV market now. Despite getting off to a rocky start, this is now a fantastic streaming TV solution that’s insanely simple. [Engadget]
• Google has a new offline Easter Egg game. It’s like Flappy Bird, but also not. Spoiler: There’s a cloud involved. [Android Police]
• If you’ve ever used Gmail on Android, you know it has some incredibly useful swipe gestures. Until now, those have been missing on iOS. [The Verge]
• Photos is getting document cropping, which should make it easier to store receipts and other important things without a bunch of clutter around the edges or in the background. [XDA Developers]

When it comes to choosing a good streaming service for your needs, it’s a challenge. There are a handful of good providers out there all duking it out for your hard-earned dollars, and each of them as its own set of benefits.

That said, it’s hard to beat YouTube TV when it comes to pure simplicity—it’s one price and one package. That’s it. You can add a few extra channels if you want, but otherwise, it’s about as simple as it can get. It’s available on basically any device you could want it on, too. That makes for an even better (and simpler) experience, as it most likely works on what you already have.

I’m currently in a position where I’m considering switching my Sling package, but after taking a closer look at YouTube TV, it appears that it may be an even better fit for my family. If you haven’t looked at it lately, it may be worth a shot for you, too.

Other News: Office Depot, Why Have You Forsaken Me?

Office Depot has been duping users to make money off of PC repairs. Verizon launched its service for free spam blocking. Prime members can get a free year of Switch Online. There’s some cool stuff to talk about today.

• Office Depot has been rigging PCs—even new ones!—with tainted malware scans to upsell virus and malware removals services. It got busted, and now it has to pay $25 million monies to the FTC. [Ars Technica, Gizmodo]
• Amazon Prime members can get a free year of Switch Online by way of Twitch Prime. Just create a Twitch account, connect it to Amazon, and you’re in. That’s a deal you can’t beat. [Ars Technica]
• Verizon launched its free service for blocking spam calls. No extra payment, no bullcrap. Just fewer spam calls (we hope, anyway). [The Verge]
• Speaking of spam calls, the FCC has fined robocallers $208 million since 2015 but has only collected $6,790 of that. Why is it not surprising that anyone engaged in this shady garbage wouldn’t be willing to pay up? [Ars Technica]
• In other troubling news, there’s a serious flaw in the Magento e-commerce platform that puts it at a much higher risk of card skimmers. A patch has been released, but vendors still have to install it. Tread carefully, my friends. [Ars Technica]
• A 24-year-old “security researcher” plead guilty to hacking into Nintendo, Microsoft, and Vtech. He barely avoided prison time for the intrusions. [The Verge]
• Alexa for Business will let companies create special Alexa skills just for their employees. That’s…pretty cool, actually. [Engadget]
• Sony handed over majority ownership of Crackle to Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, and the pair plan to reboot it as Crackle Plus with a lot more content. All still free, of course. [Variety]

I can remember spending a lot of time in Office Depot as a young man. It was the best place in my town to buy anything computer-related, but I would mostly go in there just to look and mess with the computers I couldn’t afford to buy.

Of course, with the rise of online shopping, stores like Office Depot have been struggling to keep up. It’s not the go-to source it once was, and apparently desperate times call for desperate measures. It’s really a bummer to see it go down this path of dishonesty, but it’s also not surprising.

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Microsoft Flow is a trigger-based system for creating automated workflows. There are lots of templates available, but if they don’t fit the bill for you then here’s how to create a brand new Flow from scratch.

You’ll need a free or paid-for plan to use Flow, so go ahead and sign up for one if you haven’t already. Head to the Office 365 app launcher (the nine dots in the top left corner) and click Flow to launch it.

Step One: Create a New Flow

The front page throws you straight into the templates, but we’re going to create a Flow from scratch, so click “My Flows” in the menu on the left-hand side.

If you’ve never created a Flow before then this page will be blank; otherwise, it’ll contain any flows you’ve previously created. Click New > Create from blank to start a new Flow from scratch.

You’ll be given the option to start from a popular trigger, but we’re going to start from nothing, so click the “Create from blank” button.

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Keeping your family photos safe from device failure is the primary reason backups exist. iCloud claims to back up all your photos “in the cloud,” but the way it works varies depending on what settings you have enabled.

My Photo Stream vs. iCloud Photos

“iCloud Photos” does what you’d expect—it stores all your photos in iCloud. Whenever you take a picture on your iPhone, it immediately uploads to iCloud where it’s backed up even if you break your phone. iCloud Photos will also send all the photos you’ve taken to your Mac, and any other device you have connected to iCloud so that everything is synced up. This is assuming everything is connected to the internet, and you haven’t turned off iCloud Photo Library using cellular data.

iCloud Photos is great but has a major issue: storage space. The free iCloud data plan only gives you 5 GB of storage, which is extremely small, even compared to other free storage plans from services like Google Drive. You can fit about 1600 pictures in 5 GB of space, but that doesn’t include videos and everything else you have stored in iCloud.

When your storage is full, iCloud Photos will stop working. It fills up fast, and when it does, you’ll be pestered with notifications asking you to upgrade.

“My Photo Stream” tries to solve this issue. It will only store the first 1000 pictures taken in the last month, and remove old pictures from your Photo Stream. This gives your Mac or other devices enough time to sync with iCloud, backing up your pictures on your other devices. Your pictures won’t be stored in the cloud, but you won’t have to back them up to your computer manually. If one of your devices breaks, you’ll still have all your photos on your other devices.

So as long as you don’t break all of your devices at once, My Photo Stream will still ensure you have copies of your photos. The main problem with it is that when you get a new device or upgrade your phone, your pictures won’t automatically download to that device, because My Photo Stream only stores the most recent photos. You’ll have to manually load the photos onto your new phone from your Mac, and if you don’t have a Mac, you’re out of luck unless you have enough space in iCloud to turn on iCloud Photos.

Which Should You Use?

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Taking your Nintendo Switch on the road with you? Then you need these accessories for your road trip and Switch to happily co-exist.

Now, some of these accessories will come in handy when you’re traveling on public transport but the main focus here is assuming that you’re sitting in your car and you’re in dire need of a Stardew Valley or Super Mario Odyssey fix. Obviously, alas, the world of gaming on the road is not for drivers, but if you’re the passenger (or you’re at a rest stop) then go nuts. Here are the best accessories for making car time more like Switch time.

A Carrying Case: Orzly Carry Case ($14) Orzly

A carrying case is an important essential no matter where you’re taking your Nintendo Switch, even if it’s just between rooms in your house. It’s all too easy to scratch or drop your beloved console.

The Orzly Carry Case is a good combination of solid and dependable, while still comfortable to carry around. It has a hard EVA shell exterior with a soft inner material to keep your device scratch-free. The main section comfortably fits the console and Joy-Con controllers with an upper section offering room for extra Joy-Cons, up to 8 games, and other cables. There’s a carry handle too so you can easily carry it around with you.

Buy on Amazon A Car Charger: HORI Nintendo Switch High Speed Car Charger ($18) HORI

The 9V car charger socket is useful for so much, and that includes charging up your Nintendo Switch. The HORI Nintendo Switch High Speed Car Charger plugs in and recharges reasonably quickly, even while you’re playing on the console. Because yup, it’s possible to keep playing. This car charger has a 6-foot cable so you don’t have to worry about keeping too close to the car charger. As the Switch only has a battery life of a few hours, it’s the perfect way of making sure you never run out of juice.

The charger also charges any mobile phone of yours that has a USB-C connector, making it extra useful. Oh, and it’s officially licensed by Nintendo so you don’t have to worry about any problematic electrical issues either.

Buy on Amazon A Portable Charger: RAVPower 20100 Power Bank ($54) RAVPower

There is a pricier but more convenient solution to your charging issues than buying a car charger. That solution is a power bank. Something like the RAVPower 20100 Power Bank is a great way of giving you extra power while on the move. Its capacity big enough to charge the Nintendo Switch 2.5 times with the power bank charging in a mere 4.5 hours when using the QC3.0 charger (available separately) or 10.5 hours with the 5V/2A charger.

Besides boosting your Switch play sessions, it also works with anything else USB-C based like a 12 inch MacBook, Google Pixel 2, Samsung Galaxy S8 and so forth. If you travel often, it’s a useful standby accessory to have just in case you can’t charge via your car or hotel room.

Buy on Amazon For Flat Gaming Surfaces: HORI Switch Compact PlayStand ($13) HORI

If you have a dropdown table or flat surface somewhere in the car (such as a neat car desk), you can use the Switch’s kickstand to prop up the console while gaming. A far better solution is to use a full stand like the HORI Switch Compact PlayStand. It’s an inexpensive way of propping up your console while you play, and you can even use it while charging too. There are rubberized grips for stability, as well as an adjustable angle so you can get your pose just right.

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This week saw a lot of Samsung news (as usual), with more details about the Galaxy Fold starting to trickle out. Xiaomi also showed off its 100w charger that can juice a 4,000 mAh battery in just 17 minutes. And more!

Samsung News: Watching the Fold Fold

Let’s start with the Samsung stuff this week, shall we?

• Samsung showed off how it tested the Galaxy Fold’s seam durability. It can fold 200,000 times. [Android Police]
• All versions of the Fold will reportedly ship with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855. Not surprising. [Android Police]
• The Fold will be released in 15 countries in Europe starting at €2,000. That’s so many €. [Android Police]
• The Galaxy A90 was teased, with Samsung saying it will have a “Notchless Infinity Screen.” Curious! We’ll find out more on April 10th. [The Verge]
• If you can’t wait for the A90, however, the A70 was released this week. [Samsung]
• NBC used a Galaxy S10+ to shoot an entire episode of The Tonight Show. I wonder how much Samsung had to pay for that? [Engadget]
• The March security update was pushed to the S10. That’s…pretty much up to date! [9to5Google]
• The Galaxy A6+ Android Pie w/ One UI updated started rolling out. [XDA Developers]
• The Galaxy Note Fan Edition also started getting Android Pie with One UI. Hey, that rhymes. [XDA Developers]
• Sprint’s S8, S8+, and Note 8 are all getting Pie with One UI. [Android Police]
• In slightly weird news, some Samsung device owners were concerned when the “Notification” app got updated. Yeah, it’s nothing. Just a Samsung thing. [Android Police]
• If you’re not into the S10’s hole punch camera cutout, a new app called Energy Ring may change that. It moves the battery indicator to around the camera. So clean. [Android Police]

I’m honestly kind of shocked to see this much talk about the Galaxy Fold. I don’t see Samsung moving a lot of Fold units this year—and I don’t think it expects to, either—but the fact that it’s being talked up this week proves that the company believes in this foldable design overall. Still, $2,000 is a lot of money for a phone (or for anything, really), so unless a more affordable way to manufacturer foldables comes out, they’re still not going to have much of a future.

Google News: YouTube’s Monster Mobile Traffic

Google I/O is getting close, and the schedule is out. YouTube draws a crazy amount of mobile traffic. You can use Google Assistant to get a Play Store refund. Wait, did you know you could use Google Assistant to get a Play Store refund?

• Google I/O starts on May 7th with the opening keynote at 10:00 AM PST. Get hyped. [9to5Google]
• Need a refund for a Google Play purchase? Just as Google Assistant! [Android Police]
• The Pixel Launcher in Android Q is testing Digital Wellbeing integration to let you pause apps directly from the home screen. Also, did you know you can pause apps with Digital Wellbeing [XDA Developers]
• YouTube accounts for 40% of all mobile web traffic. Out of all the websites on this planet, YouTube gets nearly half the traffic. It boggles the mind. [9to5Google]
• Google Fit got some nice enhancements that bring back elevation data and sleep tracking info from third-party apps. [Android Police]
• Android Auto was also updated with support for widescreen display. You can run two panels on the same screen! [9to5Google]
• When Google announced the Pixel Slate, there was a $599 version with a Celeron processor and 4GB of RAM. But that version never actually made it to release—and it likely never will. [9to5Google]
• Advanced call blocking abilities may be coming soon to a Google Phone app near you. The phone tweaks are the main thing I miss about using the PIxel line. [Android Police]
• YouTube TV is now available in every US TV market. [Engadget]

There are two main times of year I look forward to: Christmas and Google I/O (which is kind of like Google Christmas). Even though I’ve moved away from covering just Android and Google products, I’m still “an Android guy” in my heart of hearts, and I look forward to I/O every single year. This year is no different.

Google I/O is the time of year when we get a glimpse of everything Google has planned for Android, Chrome, Chrome OS, and beyond. It gives all users something to look forward to in the coming months. All of the company’s coolest innovations and ideas are shown off at I/O.

And I love it so much.

Other News: Xiaomi’s Crazy 100w Charger

Have you ever had a dead battery and thought to yourself “man, if only a way existed to charge this battery completely in like 17 minutes”? If so, Xiaomi has some good news for you.

• Xiaomi showed off an insane 100w charger that will charge its 4,000 mAh battery to 100% in just 17 minutes. I can’t fathom how hot it gets in the process. [Liliputing]
• Xiaomi also teased its foldable phone in a new video. What if—and hear me out here—it can fold and get a full battery in 17 minutes? [The Verge]
• The Huawei P10 and Honor 8x are both getting Android Pie. [9to5Google]
• Also! The P30 and P30 Pro were officially announced. [XDA Developers]
• In other Huawei news, the CFO didn’t even carry a Huawei device, but an iPhone instead. 

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Ever wondered why that hotel doesn’t have a 13th floor, or why you’re supposed to throw salt after you spill it? Here’s the history behind some of the most common superstitions.

Some superstitions are so common that it’s easy to forget they’re kind of strange practices. If an alien were to visit Earth, not many people would be able to explain to them why we reflexively say “Bless you” when somebody sneezes.

But whether you adhere to these traditions or not, it’s certainly fun to find out where they come from. Each one has a story behind it, so keep reading for some cool trivia that will impress your friends!

Why We Knock on Wood

The first recorded evidence of people saying “Touch wood” (the British version of “Knock on wood”) comes from the 1800s. However, the practice is much older than that, and there are a few conflicting origin stories as to where it came from.

Some believe it’s a pagan tradition from the Celts, who thought trees were the homes of gods and spirits. They might have knocked on wood to thank the good spirits or to drive the evil spirits away.

Others attribute the practice to Christianity since wood was also sacred in Christian cultures as the material of the cross. However, it’s also possible that the superstition isn’t that deep: some old children’s games involved knocking on or touching wood to become immune to losing.

Why We Throw Salt Over Our Shoulder Aaron Amat/Shutterstock

If you spill salt, you might suddenly feel the need to throw some over your shoulder—and if you don’t, someone might remind you to do it. They might even tell you that you need to throw it over your left shoulder, not your right.

A possible explanation for this comes from the fact that salt used to be super expensive. If you spilled it, that was surely the devil’s work. Throwing a little bit over your left shoulder was thought to blind the devil that made you spill it (Christians once thought that the devil hung out behind the left shoulder).

One of the most famous links to this superstition is in da Vinci’s painting The Last Supper. Look closely, and you’ll see that Judas has spilled the salt. Judas is the famous betrayer of Christian tradition, so this depiction connected spilled salt to lying, betrayal, and the devil.

Why We Say “Bless You” When People Sneeze

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