Blogroll

A Z-Score is a statistical value that tells you how many standard deviations a particular value happens to be from the mean of the entire data set. You can use AVERAGE and STDEV.S or STDEV.P formulas to calculate the mean and standard deviation of your data and then use those results to determine the Z-Score of each value.

What is a Z-Score and what do the AVERAGE, STDEV.S, and STDEV.P functions do?

A Z-Score is a simple way of comparing values from two different data sets. It is defined as the number of standard deviations away from the mean a data point lies. The general formula looks like this:

=(DataPoint-AVERAGE(DataSet))/STDEV(DataSet)

Here’s an example to help clarify. Say you wanted to compare the test results of two Algebra students taught by different teachers. You know the first student got a 95% on the final exam in one class, and the student in the other class scored 87%.

At first glance, the 95% grade is more impressive, but what if the teacher of the second class gave a more difficult exam? You could calculate the Z-Score of each student’s score based on the average scores in each class and the standard deviation of the scores in each class. Comparing the Z-Scores of the two students could reveal that the student with the 87% score did better in comparison to the rest of their class than the student with the 98% score did in comparison to the rest of their class.

The first statistical value you need is the ‘mean’ and Excel’s “AVERAGE” function calculates that value. It simply adds up all of the values in a cell range and divides that sum by the number of cells containing numerical values (it ignores blank cells).

The other statistical value we need is the ‘standard deviation’ and Excel has two different functions to calculate the standard deviation in slightly different ways.

Previous versions of Excel only had the “STDEV” function, which calculates the standard deviation while treating the data as a ‘sample’ of a population. Excel 2010 broke that into two functions that calculate the standard deviation:

• STDEV.S: This function is identical to the previous “STDEV” function. It calculates the standard deviation while treating the data as a ‘sample’ of a population. A sample of a population might be something like the particular mosquitoes collected for a research project or cars that were set aside and used for crash safety testing.
• STDEV.P: This function calculates the standard deviation while treating the data as the entire population. An entire population would be something like all mosquitoes on Earth or every car in a production run of a specific model.

Which you choose is based on your data set. The difference will usually be small, but the result of the “STDEV.P” function will always be smaller than the result of the “STDEV.S” function for the same data set. It is a more conservative approach to assume there is more variability in the data.

Let’s Look at an Example

Read the remaining 51 paragraphs

 

Nokia

The strange-yet-boring Nokia 9 PureView will hit the US market on March 3rd for $599. So, you’ll be paying $120 per camera.

You may remember when the Nokia 9 PureView was announced on Sunday, February 24th, just a few days ago. Well, HMD wants to move fast, I guess. The company’s decision to announce a phone and bring it to market in the span of a week is pretty wild.

Oh, speaking of moving fast, the Nokia 9 PureView’s $599 price tag will only last a week. On March 10th, it’s moving up to $699. That’s like $140 per camera.

Let’s go through the Nokia 9 PureView’s specs real quick, just in case you want to buy it before the 10th. It has five 12 MP cameras that shoot simultaneously. The phone then “stacks” all five of these images to make an insane 60 MP high-res photo.

Inside of the PureView, you’ll find 6 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage (with an SD card slot), a 6″ OLED display with a built-in fingerprint reader, and last year’s Snapdragon 845 processor. No, it doesn’t have a headphone jack, and there’s only one selfie camera.

Should you choose to buy the PureView, you’ll find it online at B&H, Amazon, and Best Buy on March 3rd for $599. But that price will rise to $699 on the 10th, so don’t wait too long.

via The Verge

Razer

If some of the $1000+ prices on new flagship phones is giving you sticker shock, you might want to swing by Razer’s online store tomorrow. The Razer Phone 2, upgraded and competitive with most new phones as of late 2018, will be just $499.

That’s for the unlocked, carrier-agnostic version you buy from Razer itself, naturally. AT&T also sells the phone as do several retailers like Amazon. They should reflect this change tomorrow or shortly thereafter—it’s a $200 discount off the Razer Phone 2’s current retail price. There’s no word on how long this promotional price will last (if it’s promotional at all), so grab one quickly if you’re ready to buy.

But wait, there’s more! Razer also announced that its phone is getting the upgrade to Android 9.0 Pie starting today. Razer’s phone software is already pretty close to stock, with a few gaming-friendly add-ons to take advantage of that 120 Hz screen and light-up rear logo. Razer’s consistent updates were a highlight of the original.

It’s taken about six months for Razer to get the upgrade in the hands of users, which is pretty good—my Oreo-packing Galaxy Note 8 is looking envious of both the new software and the low price.

Talaj/Shutterstock

Finding the fastest USB connection used to be easy: choose USB 3.0 instead of 2.0. But now, you’ll need to know the difference between USB 3.2 Gen 1, Gen 2, and Gen 2×2—and what various types of “SuperSpeed” mean, too.

USB Naming Used to Be Simple kontrymphoto/Shutterstock

Once upon a time, USB came in two main flavors, 2.0 and 3.0. All you needed to know about them was 3.0 was faster than 2.0. You could buy a USB 2.0 flash drive and plug it into a computer that had USB 3.0 slots, and it would still work—just at the slower USB 2.0 speeds. Buying a USB 3.0 drive and plugging it into a USB 2.0 port would give you USB 2.0 speeds, too.

If you wanted the fastest speed possible, you’d get a USB 3.0 drive and plug it into a USB 3.0 USB port. It was simple and straightforward. But everything changed with USB 3.1.

USB 3.1 Muddied the Naming Waters USB-IF

The USB Implementors Forums (USB-IF) maintains USB specifications and compliance, and it’s behind the naming schemes found on USB cables and devices. When it introduced USB 3.1, rather than keep things simple and let that name differentiate from USB 3.0, it called the new standard “USB 3.1 Gen 2.” USB 3.0 was retroactively renamed “USB 3.1 Gen 1.”

To further complicate things, the transfer speeds themselves received names. USB 3.1 Gen 1, originally known as USB 3.0, is capable of 5 Gbps transfer speeds—that’s called SuperSpeed.

USB 3.1 Gen 2 is capable of 10 Gbps transfer speeds—that’s called SuperSpeed+. Technically, it accomplishes this by using 128b/132b encoding in a full-duplex communications mode. Full-duplex communication is exciting because that means information can be transferred and received at the same time. That’s why it’s faster.

The difference between the two was slightly confusing. But, as long as you remembered Gen 2 was better than Gen 1, you were good to go. To help differentiate the speeds, USB-IF also implemented logos, which manufacturer can only use by passing a certification to prove a cable matches the promised specs.

USB 3.2 is Even Faster and More Confusing USB-IF

Last September, the USB-IF detailed out new possible speeds for USB-C, and the beginnings of the USB 3.2 specification. USB 3.2 will be capable of 20 Gbps speeds. That’s double the transfer speeds of USB 3.1 Gen 2. If you’re wondering how the cables are doubling their speed so quickly without changing size or connectors, it’s straight forward. USB products capable of 20 Gbps have two 10 Gbps channels. Think of it as more wiring jammed into the same cable.

Just like in previous iterations, this new standard is backward compatible for basic usage—but you won’t get the faster speed without all new hardware. If you buy a hard drive that promises a 20 Gbps transfer rate and plug it into your current computer, the hard drive will work, but at slower speeds that the USB ports on your machine can provide. You’ll have to update both ends of the connection to enjoy all the new benefits.

Read the remaining 10 paragraphs

Nylabone

Dogs can be cute, smart, and gentle. But even the sweetest dog can become a destructive monster when playtime comes around. If your dog is a destructive chewer, then you’ll need some durable toys to make playtime worthwhile.

Luckily, there are a lot of durable chew toys on the market. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and some of them are actually flavored like meat for extra playtime fun.

But it can be difficult to find a good durable chew toy for your dog. Some toys claim to be durable, but they really aren’t any stronger than a bowl of Jello—alright, a little strong than that… maybe. And your dog may be very picky about the shape or texture of certain toys.

Lucky for you (and your dog), we’ve taken the time to find a variety of great, durable chew toys for the most destructive dogs.

Nylabone Dura Chew ($7) Nylabone

The Nylabone Dura Chew is an affordable, meat flavored chew toy made from a durable nylon material. It’s a textured ring that can take a beating from even the biggest, 60+ pound dogs. Plus, it can be thrown like a frisbee.

Most dog chew toys are shaped like bones or sticks, and they can be difficult for dogs to pin down for a good chew session. But since the Nylabone is shaped like a ring, your dog can hold it down with one paw, kind of like a giant ring pop. This is a great toy for power-chewers, and it doesn’t cost much, so you could always buy a new one once it starts to get gnarly.

Buy on Amazon ONEISALL Indestructible Chew Toy ($15) ONEISALL

If you’re looking for a durable, safe chew toy for your dog, then you may be interested in the ONEISALL Indestructible chew toy. It’s made from a non-toxic plastic, so you don’t have to be worried if your dog manages to break off a chunk and swallow it. The ONEISALL chew toy is also bacon scented, so feel free to give it a good chew while your dog isn’t looking (don’t do this).

Buy on Amazon Benebone Flavored Chew Toy ($13) Benebone

Dogs love to chew on bones, but not all dog owners want to riddle their house with nasty old bones. (Fun fact, most dog “bones” are actually bleached rawhide from cows). In order to make your bone-loving dog happy, you’ll need to strike a bit of a compromise.

Luckily, the Benebone flavored chew toy is shaped and textured like a giant wishbone, but it’s made from plastic. It can handle the jaw strength of a 60+ pound dog, so it should last you a while.

Buy on Amazon Pacific Pups Set of 11 Rope Toys ($22) Pacific Pups

Read the remaining 6 paragraphs

Samsung

The biggest upgrade you can make to your old PC is faster storage. Other components like the CPU and GPU have certainly improved in the last decade, but everyone will appreciate faster storage.

NVMe is the latest and greatest storage interface for laptops and desktops, and it offers much faster read and write speeds than older interfaces. This comes at a cost, so depending on what you use the computer for, buying an NVMe drive may not make sense.

What Are NVMe Drives?

Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) is a storage interface introduced in 2013. “Non-Volatile” means the storage isn’t erased when your computer reboots, while “Express” refers to the fact that the data travels over the PCI Express (PCIe) interface on your computer’s motherboard. This gives the drive a more direct connection with your motherboard since data doesn’t have to hop through a Serial Advance Technology Attachment (SATA) controller.

NVMe drives are much, much faster than SATA drives that have been around for years. PCIe 3.0—the current generation of the PCI Express standard— has a maximum speed transfer of 985 megabytes per second (Mbps) on each lane. NVMe drives have been able to utilize 4 PCIe lanes, meaning a theoretical max speed of 3.9 Gbps (3,940 Mbps). Meanwhile, one of the fastest SATA SSDs—-the Samsung 860 Pro—-tops out at read and write speeds of about 560Mbps.

NVMe drives come in a couple of different form factors. The most common of these is the m.2 stick, shown above. These are 22 mm wide and can be 30, 42, 60, 80 or 100mm long. These sticks are thin enough to lay flat on a motherboard, so they’re perfect for small form factor computers and laptops. Keep in mind that some SATA SSDs use this same form factor, so you’ll want to pay close attention and make sure you don’t mistakenly buy the slower drive. The Samsung 970 EVO is an example of an m.2 NVMe drive.

Intel

Next is the PCIe-3.0 form factor. This is similar to a GPU and other accessories in that it plugs into any of the PCIe-3.0 slots on your motherboard. This is fine for full-sized ATX cases and motherboards but is constraining on small form factor PCs and impossible inside a laptop chassis. The Intel 750 SSD is an example of a PCIe-3.0 NVMe drive.

Should You Buy an NVMe SSD? Samsung

Whether you need the faster speeds comes down to your exact workload. But while NVMe drives are coming down in price—the NVMe Samsung 970 Pro and the SATA Samsung 860 Pro both go for about $150 at the 500 GB size—don’t feel like you need to rush out and replace your SATA SSD.

A SATA SSD will already get your computer turned on in a few seconds, launch programs in a snap, and let you copy and move files relatively quickly. But if you work with a lot of huge videos—whether they be from a database, video editing, or ripping Blu Rays—the extra cost may pay itself off by letting you work faster.

In my case, I’m happy to stick with my SATA SSD until it stops working. There’s not much sense in spending the money for an NVMe drive right now just so my computer comes on in four seconds instead of five, or the rare giant file I have to move transfers slightly faster. When it does come time for a new SSD, I’ll go for an NVMe model, because why pay the same amount for a worse product?

Read the remaining 3 paragraphs

It may sound preposterous, but some people are afraid smart thermostats are bad for heating and air conditioning systems. Here’s the good news: You don’t have much to worry about, but there are some important things to keep in mind.

A relatively recent post on Reddit recounted an HVAC technician’s warning about smart thermostats:

“He said he never recommends them and that their company is REGULARLY replacing systems that have failed or prematurely broken down due to the Nest overworking the computing systems/motherboards built in to most HVAC units—even brand new models.”

The technician isn’t completely full of it. If your smart thermostat isn’t wired up correctly, then it can cause problems for your HVAC system. However, his explanation is mostly filled with a lot of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt.)

It’s All About the C Wire, Baby

Every thermostat has a handful of wires connected to it (either four or five) that lead back to the electrical control board of your HVAC system. Each wire is usually responsible for something specific, like one wire is for cooling, and another wire is for heating. Many systems have a “C wire” (or “common wire”), which is dedicated to providing electricity to the thermostat to power the screen and other electronic functions.

Older systems usually don’t have a C wire, though, because back then thermostats didn’t require electricity thanks to the fully mechanical operation of mercury-switched thermostats. But today, most modern thermostats have more bells and whistles, which require electricity to run. Thus, the purpose of the C wire.

A C wire isn’t necessarily required for smart thermostats, but it’s highly recommended. And if your thermostat’s wiring includes a C wire, you should connect it to your smart thermostat—most problems that arise due to the smart thermostat happen because there’s no C wire connected to it.

Read the remaining 12 paragraphs

Which Cartoonist Coined The Name For Stegosaurus Tail Spikes?

1. Gary Larson
2. Charles Schultz
3. Bill Ward
4. Bill Watterson

Think you know the answer?

Microsoft’s OneDrive makes it easy to share and unshare files and folders. But what if you want to see everything you’ve shared, in one simple list? OneDrive can do that easily, and here’s how you get to it.

RELATED: How to Find All the Files You’ve Shared in OneDrive

Log into your account on the OneDrive site. You can also sign in to your Office 365 account and select OneDrive from the app launcher.

Note that OneDrive for Business will also show you things people have shared with you in a separate tab, but sadly that’s not an option in a personal OneDrive.

In the menu on the left-hand side, click “Shared.”

All of the files and folders you’ve shared will be displayed.

Read the remaining 5 paragraphs

Shadow

Streaming games, as in streaming them to play and not just to watch, look like they’ll be the next big thing in the gaming market. Shadow offers a unique take on this service, and today they’ve announced an improved hardware component, the Shadow Ghost.

A little context: the Shadow service is similar to game streaming setups like PlayStation Now or GeForce Now. But instead of charging for a large library of games, Shadow lets you “rent” a remote, virtualized gaming PC with a GTX 1080 card equivalent, and fill it up with the PC games you already own. For $35 a month, you can access your remote PC and play your games on Windows, macOS, or Android.

But there’s no easy way to get any of those platforms to play nice with a TV. The Shadow Ghost is the solution. An evolution of the previous Shadow Box device and vaguely reminiscent of the Steam Link, the Ghost is designed to remove all of the compromises of streaming games that are possible at the moment. Its low-power, fanless hardware can nonetheless pump out 4K games at 60 frames per second, or 1080p at 144Hz for those fast-paced shooters and fighting games.

Shadow

It has a 5GHz Wi-Fi connection (up to 400 megabits per second) but you’ll want to take advantage of the gigabit Ethernet port for the best connection. (Shadow recommends an internet connection with a minimum of 25 Mbps and a low ping.) In addition to the Ethernet port it’s also rocking USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, HDMI 2.0, a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, as well as Bluetooth 4.1, which should cover most controller and mouse/keyboard inputs.

The device itself is much smaller than a conventional game console, only 7.2 inches wide—about the size of an old CD player. Its curvaceous case looks neat, but might be a little tricky to fit in your entertainment center if you’re used to black boxes. The Shadow Ghost is on sale today from Shadow’s website for $140.

Samsung has a long-running relationship with McAfee. And while it’s bad enough that it bundles this nigh-useless junk on its computers, it’s “extending” this partnership to the S10 and all 2019 Smart TVs.

Of course, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen Samsung throw McAfee on Galaxy smartphones, as it shipped the S8 with the antivirus app installed too. Then Samsung later brought it to previous Galaxy devices with an update, which is honestly just disgusting.

Make no mistake here: McAfee is paying Samsung a pile of cash to do this, which is a pretty common practice for all PC makers. It lets McAfee extend its presence, especially for less-savvy users who honestly don’t know that antivirus apps on Android are nearly useless. Just like with bundled antivirus software on computers, you simply don’t need it. (For Windows machines, Microsoft’s Windows Defender does a great job, and it’s integrated).

But here’s where things are really starting to get out of hand: as of 2019, Samsung will include McAfee on its smart TVs. Straight from the PR:

McAfee extended its contract to have McAfee Security for TV technology pre-installed on all Samsung Smart TVs produced in 2019. Along with being the market leader in the Smart TV category worldwide, Samsung is also the first company to pre-install security on these devices, underscoring its commitment to building security in from the start. McAfee Security for TV scans the apps that run on Samsung smart TVs to identify and remove malware.

Samsung is “the first company to pre-install security on these devices” for good reason: you don’t need it. First off, Samsung’s Smart TVs run its own Tizen OS (which is based on Linux) for which malware is virtually non-existent. So, right out of the gate, it’s inherently a non-issue.

Secondly, the same rule applies to smart TVs that apply to Android, which is basically to be smart about what you install. If you don’t know what it is, then don’t install it. If it’s not from the TV’s official store, don’t install it. Don’t sideload random stuff. Just, you know, use common sense.

While there are documented cases of Android-based smart TVs getting infected with ransomware, installing apps from unofficial stores or websites is nearly always the culprit. So if you don’t do that, then you should be fine. And again, Samsung TVs don’t run Android—they run Tizen.

Read the remaining 5 paragraphs

Nest

Keeping tabs on your home while you’re away on vacation or at work is the perfect job for a WiFi cam, and if it’s 24/7 continuous recording that you’re after, you have some options—albeit limited—to choose from.

Nest Cam ($199)

Perhaps the most popular option that is well-known for its 24/7 continuous recording capabilities is the Nest Cam. There are multiple models to choose from, but all of them have this feature.

Unfortunately, you’ll have to pay for a Nest Aware subscription, which starts at $5 per month. This will give you access to the 24/7 continuous recording, as well as other features like facial recognition (if you get the Nest Cam IQ), as well as Activity Zones and storage for video recordings. Further, you can download clips to save or share—a particularly handy feature if you need the video footage for a serious matter like a legal dispute.

The Nest Cam is one of our favorite Wi-Fi cams, thanks to ease of setup and use. It also has the usual specs you’d expect on a premium camera, like crisp 1080p video, night vision capabilities, and two-way talk.

Buy at Nest.com Netgear Arlo Q ($149)

A cheaper alternative to the Nest Cam is the Arlo Q from Netgear, which also can do 24/7 continuous recording, but you’ll still need to pay for that privilege (if you want more than a week worth of recording) which is slightly more expensive than the Nest Cam’s subscription.

Despite the lower up-front price, the Arlo Q can still record 1080p video, and has two-way talk and night vision functionality. But perhaps the best feature is the free seven-day storage for video recordings, which the Nest Cam doesn’t have.

If you want to extend the free storage there’s a premium—subscriptions start at $10 per month for storing 24/7 video for up to 14 days. So while you’ll pay less up front for the camera itself, you’ll be paying more in the long run for continuous recording, which is something to keep in mind. In addition, there’s no way to download the footage from the cloud.

Buy on Amazon

If you’ve been waiting to buy an Xbox One S, now might be the best time to jump on it. Hopefully, you have some free time this year because Massgenie is offering a deal that’s too good to pass up.

Massgenie is offering an Xbox One S, the Minecraft Creators Bundle, and Red Dead Redemption 2 for just $220. If you bought all of these games on Amazon right now, you’d be paying more than $300.

Remember when the Xbox One was priced around $500? Yeah, this deal is so good that it’s almost frustrating. But if you’ve never heard of Massgenie, then there are a few things that you need to know.

Massgenie, like Massdrop, buys items in bulk and sells them at a steep discount. The stipulation here is that a certain number of people need to commit to buying the product, or else nobody gets it. For this Xbox One S deal, the “Power Deal” goal has already been met — enough people have paid for the product, so you just need to put down your money before the deal ends.

But Massgenie has a “first in first out” policy, so you want to put down your money sooner rather than later. Sometimes there isn’t enough inventory to honor every purchase, so people that are late to the game get a full refund instead of the Xbox One S. Hey, at least there’s no risk.

Buy From Massgenie

Gmail is already pretty great, but with the addition of a few carefully selected Google Chrome extension, you can get it to do so much more. Here are some of our favorites.

We typically don’t recommend using a lot of browser extensions because they can be a privacy nightmare. Still, it’s hard to resist extensions that can significantly improve things for you. We’ve checked out all these extensions ourselves, testing them, looking at their reputations among users, and favoring extensions that make their source code public when possible. Still, you should learn how to make sure Chrome extensions are safe before using them and use them sparingly.

RELATED: The Best Chrome Extensions for Managing Tabs

FlowCrypt

FlowCrypt is an easy way to make sure any message you send from your Gmail account gets encrypted—even attachments!—using PGP encryption. FlowCrypt places a button on the UI that lets you compose a secure message when you click it. Once you and the recipient install FlowCrypt you can send encrypted messages to anyone on your contact list, whether they have FlowCrypt or not. If the recipient has FlowCrypt installed, messages are decrypted automatically when they’re opened on the other end. However, if they don’t have it installed, you have to create a one-time password which you should share not via email, for obvious reasons.

RELATED: Why No One Uses Encrypted Email Messages

Discoverly

Discoverly is like a private eye for Gmail. Anytime you receive an email from an unknown person, it scours the internet, revealing the person’s Twitter, Facebook, Gmail, and even LinkedIn to show you who they are. Discoverly connects all the information from these sites and outs it together for you to see the person’s mutual connections, work info and position, and it even displays their tweets.

Read the remaining 28 paragraphs

SteelSeries

If you prefer to play your mobile games with a console advantage, let your fingers do the walking to Amazon. The site has the SteelSeries Stratus XL, one of the best controllers mobile around, available for just $30 today.

The Stratus XL offers all of the same primary buttons as the standard controller design for the Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch, plus hard-bound home and back buttons to make getting around the Android interface easier. Two full-sized thumbsticks and a classic D-pad are must-haves for console-style games like Fortnite. The controller supports Bluetooth connections, so it will also work with Windows laptops and desktops with the requisite adapter.

Today’s discount brings the price down from $40. A few things to note: the Stratus XL runs on AA batteries, so it’s not rechargeable (unless you’ve already invested in rechargeable batteries, of course). It’s “full size,” so it’s not going to fit in the pocket of even the largest jeans. And it’s not designed for Apple devices, so if you want a controller for your iPhone or iPad, you’ll have to go with the similar Nimbus design.

Buy on Amazon

If you’ve been in need of an SD card or an SSD, now’s the time to buy one. Amazon is running a huge sale on memory and storage products. Most of the products on sale are from Sandisk, so you know that they’re reliable and durable.

All of the items in Amazon’s sale are at least 20 percent off, so there aren’t any bad deals in this sale. That being said, we have a few favorites:

• Sandisk 1 TB SSD – $99 $125
• Sandisk 400 GB Micro SD Card – $62 $95
• Sandisk 64 GB SD Card – $14 $34
• Sandisk External 2 TB SSD – $300 $700

Amazon will end this sale by the end of the day, so don’t wait too long to grab that Micro SD card or SSD. You’ll always remember that you got it for a good price as you traverse through years and reading and/or writing.

Buy on Amazon

The main purpose of Wi-Fi cameras is to record video, but that’s not the only thing they can do. Modern Wi-Fi cams are sophisticated pieces of hardware and they can do a lot more than simply record video.

RELATED: What You Should Know Before Buying Wi-Fi Cameras

This also means that if you’re in the market for a Wi-Fi cam, there are a lot more features that you’ll want to know about a specific model other than its video quality. Here are features that some Wi-Fi cameras have other than just video recording.

Two-Way Talk

Pretty much every Wi-Fi camera these days comes with a built-in microphone and speaker so you can use your smartphone and your Wi-Fi cam as walkie talkies of sorts.

The accompanying app on your phone lets you hit a button and start talking through the camera, and the person on the other end can talk back using the microphone on the camera itself. This is especially useful on video doorbells where you can talk to the person who came to your door (rather than actually opening and answering the door), especially if it’s someone who you’re not quite sure about.

Of course, if this intercom isn’t a feature that you’ll use, there’s usually a setting that lets you turn off the microphone and speaker on the camera, but this usually will also prevent video recordings from capturing audio.

Facial Recognition

Read the remaining 11 paragraphs

Artazum/Shutterstock

It’s easy to think of bathroom upgrades in terms of big-ticket items and total remodel jobs, but we’ve rounded up some great cheap upgrades you can enjoy right now for less than $20 each.

The bathroom gets a lot of use in a home but it’s all too easy to overlook it. One day it looks pretty put together and you’re happy with it, but before you know it the bath mat looks like it got beat up by a wood chipper and you’re wondering why you never get around to replacing all this busted up stuff. We’re here to help. We’ve rounded up our favorite cheap bathroom upgrades, all of which cost under $20, so you can enjoy a little bit of budget-friendly luxury and convenience in your bathroom.

Better Living Soap and Shower Dispenser ($19.58)

I’ve had one of these Better Living dispensers in every shower in my house for years now and it’s, possibly, one of my favorite inexpensive bathroom upgrades. For just shy of twenty bucks you can get rid of three different bottles from your shower. It comes with waterproof labels (Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Wash, etc.), adhesive (you can use either the included two-sided mounting tape or the little tube of silicone caulk), and you can mount it flat to the shower wall or in the corner with ease.

Buy on Amazon Simple Human Step Trashcan ($15)

Simplehuman products are really nice and, typically, really expensive. This petite 6-liter pedal trashcan offers the solid design and construction you’d expect from the company but you can grab it for only $15.

Why use a pedal can and a small one at that? Pedal cans are great for bathrooms because they contain odors, keep pets out, and conceal the contents of the trash can until it’s time to empty it. Not only are smaller cans like this little one great for bathrooms with limited spaces but the size also encourages you to empty the bin more so you don’t end up with a giant compressed block of makeup wipes and discarded tissues funking up your bathroom.

Buy on Amazon TubShroom Hair Catcher ($13)

The TubShroom falls soundly into the category of things that look stupid and can’t possibly work but absolutely do work and the only stupid part is how you feel when you realize you should have bought the $13 little rubber plug years ago.

Read the remaining 11 paragraphs

Apps on your iPhone can track your location, but you have to give them access first. Here’s how to check which apps can monitor your GPS location and revoke their access.

As important as privacy is, letting some apps track our location makes them much more useful—and sometimes it’s essential. It’s unreasonable to expect Google Maps to work as it should without Google knowing your location, but does that note-taking app need to know where you are? Maybe, maybe not.

Where you stand on these things is a personal decision, and it’s not one we’re here to argue. We’re here to show how to take control of which apps know your location, and when they’re allowed to track it.

It’s also important to remember that some apps need your location data to do their job. Revoking access to your location can stop some important features from working. Keep that in mind when checking which apps can and cannot access your data.

RELATED: Why Do So Many Apps Ask For Your Location, and Which Ones Really Need It?

How to See Which Apps Are Tracking You

To see a list of apps that have requested access to your location data, open the Settings app and tap “Privacy.”

Next, tap “Location Services.”

Read the remaining 19 paragraphs

Hadrian/Shutterstock 

New tech products are usually expensive, semi-useless, and buggy. When describing the feeling of first-generation tech, a certain phrase comes to mind. No, it isn’t “buyers remorse,” it’s “early adopter pain.”

Early adopter pain is difficult to describe, but it’s necessary for technological and social progress. It’s like the pain that comes after a long run mixed with the rush of gambling. And like gambling, early adopter pain is expensive.

But what makes someone an early adopter, and how is early adopter pain necessary for progress?

The Five Stages of Technology Adoption

A simple Google search for “early adopters” shows that, as a concept, early adopters are very important to businesses. In fact, they’re practically the deciding factor for a product’s success. According to Everett Rogers, professor of communication studies at the University of New Mexico, there are five stages to technology adoption that form a marketing bell curve. In his book Diffusions of Innovations, Rogers describes how early adopters are practically the first and most crucial stage of a product’s life-cycle, even though early adopters make up a very small market share.

According to Rogers’ 5 stages to technology adoption, innovators are the absolute first investors in a new product, even though they make up the smallest market share. These innovators tend to have a lot of financial resources, so they can drop a lot of money on new products, even if they’re half-baked or doomed to fail. But innovators don’t have a lot of influence on the public; they’re just the rich people that invest in new ideas at the drop of a hat.

Groups of Consumers Adopting New Tech (Blue), Market Share (Yellow) Rogers Everett – Diffusion of innovations (1962)

Early adopters are the second phase of Rogers’ adoption curve, and they’re the people in whom we’re most interested. According to Rogers, early adopters tend to be young, trendy, and well-to-do. Early adopters (in the field of tech) are usually journalists or YouTubers that have a lot of influence over average consumers, and they’re often the first place where consumers find new information.

As you can imagine, early adopters need to be critical of new products to maintain credibility. If your favorite nerdy YouTuber started waving around some stupid new product and claimed that it’s the future of technology, you’d hopefully hold less trust in their opinions. As a result, manufacturers tend to cater to early adopters by making new products look luxurious, vocalizing the product’s potential, or by adapting to early adopter opinions at the beginning of a product’s life-cycle.

Once a product reaches Early Majority or Late Majority, it’s considered successful. These categories indicate that average consumers have started to adopt the product and that it’s probably permeated through most of society. When a product starts to reach early or late majority adoption, manufacturers start to market it as “easy to use” or “universal.” Desktop computers are a good example of this. Once average people started buying desktops, businesses started developing tools like the computer mouse and clean GUI’s to make things more appealing.

Laggards are the last people to adopt a product, and they represent a small market share. People that are out of date or elderly usually fall in this category, and businesses (smartphone manufacturers, for example) usually aim products toward laggards as an afterthought.

We’ve All Experienced Early Adopter Pain

Read the remaining 19 paragraphs