Month: March 2020

Netflix’s first ‘Transformers’ teaser reveals a hopeless war

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Netflix has posted the first teaser trailer for its Transformers animated series, and it’s now clear just how the service will take on the robots’ origins. The clip for the first part of the War For Cybertron trilogy, Siege, portrays the Autobots fighting a seemingly hopeless war to prevent the Decepticons from finding the Allspark (the source of the machines’ power) and destroying the essence of what the Transformers are. It’s not the most complex narrative, although it’s surprisingly bleak for kids’ fare. It even draws eerie parallels with human politics by having Megatron spin the Autobots’ efforts as "aggression."

The teaser also gives a peek at the "new look" animation style, which ultimately boils down to cel-shaded CG but fits well with larger-than-life battling robots. On that note, you can expect plenty of fights — Rooster Teeth and Polygon Pictures haven’t forgotten one of the reasons why kids (and curious adults) latched on to Transformers in the first place.

There’s still no specific date for War For Cybertron‘s debut later this year. It’s still listed as "coming soon." Even so, this might tell you if it’s worth getting your hopes up for the prequel to the classic Transformers movie. If nothing else, this shows that Netflix is fully committed to its ’80s nostalgia push.

Source: Netflix (YouTube)

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via Engadget http://www.engadget.com

February 22, 2020 at 08:15PM

Download “Becoming The Hacker” For FREE (Worth $32)

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If you’d like to delve into web penetration testing, Becoming the Hacker is a clear guide to approaching this lucrative and growing industry.

This free book (worth $32) takes you through commonly encountered vulnerabilities and how to take advantage of them to achieve your goal. You’ll then go on to put your “newly learned techniques into practice, going over scenarios where the target may be a popular content management system or a containerized application and its network”.

Download This Ebook for Free

Topics covered include:

• Introduction to attacking web applications
• Advanced brute-forcing
• File inclusion attacks
• Out-of-band exploitation
• Automated testing
• Practical client-side and server-side attacks
• Attacking APIs
• Attacking CMS
• And more

By developing a strong understanding of how an attacker approaches a web application, you’re placed in a strong position to help companies protect their own applications from these vulnerabilities.

This book is aimed at readers with basic experience with digital security, such as running a network, or coming across security issues when developing an application.

Want to download your free copy? Simply click here to download Becoming the Hacker from TradePub. You will have to complete a short form to access the ebook, but it’s well worth it!

Note: this free offer expires 3 Mar 2020.

Read the full article: Download “Becoming The Hacker” For FREE (Worth $32)

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February 22, 2020 at 10:55AM

Keeping Records of CRM Pipeline Sales Leads to Success

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Photo by You X Ventures on Unsplash

Keeping good records of CRM pipeline sales and learning to analyze those records can reveal surprising details about how best to run your business.

CRM is an acronym for “customer relationship management.” The term “pipeline sales” refers where your customers are in the buying process. What do CRM and pipeline sales have in common? And how can you use these tools to learn more about your business? Keep reading to find out.

RELATED ARTICLE: STREAMLINING BUSINESS PROCESSES FOR SUCCESS

Make Full Use of Both Your CRM and Your Pipeline

Your company’s CRM is the lifeblood of your business. This is because your profits are driven by customer purchases. Moreover, taking full advantage of the combined elements of your CRM and good record-keeping of your sales pipeline will translate into success for your business.

What is the Difference Between a Sales Funnel and a Sales Pipeline?

The sales pipeline differs slightly from the sales funnel. This is because the sales funnel is about leads, and the sales pipeline is about sales.

The funnel is wide at the top to capture an infinite number of prospects. As the potential for sales increases, the funnel narrows toward the bottom, separating potential customers from actual customers. The desired outcomes of both the sales funnel and the sales pipeline are greater profits and happier customers.

Let’s look at seven reasons why maintaining good CRM pipeline sales records will benefit you.

Good Record-Keeping Will Help You Identify Threats and Opportunities

With a systematic record-keeping process, you remain continuously updated about the status of your CRM pipeline. Moreover, using an efficient system to move prospects through the sales funnel in an integrated process enables you to mitigate risks and harness opportunities at every step of the way.

Reducing threats means knowing how to discourage progressive movement through the sales funnel. Leveraging opportunities translates into encouraging upward movement of prospects through the sales pipeline.

Learn Your Company’s Strengths and Weaknesses by Observing CRM Pipeline Sales

You can gain a good understanding of your company’s strengths and weaknesses by learning to analyze the records of your CRM pipeline sales. It’s best to do this by recording your sales funnel records.

This is because funnel records show conversion rates at each point. This will provide greater clarity about the improvements you need to make to your sales and marketing efforts. Then, you’ll know where your staff needs more training. Obviously, more training in weak areas will become key to making system improvements.

Set Goals and Achieve Them by Observing CRM Pipeline Sales

You’ll be better able to set effective goals when you understand more about where you need additional sales team training.

Naturally, you will then rely on precise record-keeping to adjust those goals as well as your sales strategies. This will lead to more successful conversions.

Develop Your Goal-Setting Skills

You want to slow or stop prospect movement toward the top of your funnel at each point. This is because you don’t want leads to leave your sales funnel but to continue downward toward the narrow end of the funnel. In other words, you want leads to progress toward sales, not toward leaving your funnel altogether.

Therefore, you need to learn more about your overall CRM sales pipeline. Additionally, you want to hone your goal-setting skills at each step. These new skills will correspondingly drive conversion rates throughout your sales pipeline. One point at which you have the best chance of achieving this goal is at first contact.

Good Record-Keeping of CRM Pipeline Sales Will Improve Company Response Times

Researchers write in the Harvard Business Review about a study that illustrates the importance of shortening lead response times.

Their research showed that companies who responded to leads within one hour were seven times more likely to achieve successful movement through the sales funnel than those who contacted the customer in the second hour.

Even more surprisingly, initial contacts made in the first hour were 60 times more successful than those made after 24 hours.

Always Remember That Prospects Are People Who Can Become Customers

Additionally, the Harvard study underscores the fact that people are social creatures. They appreciate personalized services and interactions. They also value rapid response times.

Therefore, the right technical systems and CRM record-keeping software will make all the difference to your sales and profits.

However, along with all this technical savvy, your business success also depends on how well you build your relationships with your customers. You can gain the knowledge you need by choosing an effective CRM sales pipeline record-keeping system. On the other hand, though, the effective building of human relations will require continual staff training.

Employ Enhanced CRM with Advanced VoIP

Using the advanced functionality of an innovative VoIP system as your record-keeping software will further enhance your CRM. This is because an advanced VoIP system will give you online website chat capabilities, surveys, SMS functionality, and video conferencing. This includes both inbound and outbound CRM support.

Additionally, the leads from this VoIP system will all be captured in your sales pipeline. This will enable better sales tracking and a shortened sales cycle timeline. Then your staff will have more time to make sales. In short, your company will enjoy more productivity, improved customer response times, and greater customer satisfaction.

A CRM Sales Pipeline Translates into Free Marketing and More Sales

The CRM sales pipeline differs between companies, but typically ranges between four to eight stages in the customer’s buying process. This range begins with an ocean of potential prospects who are simply looking for something to purchase, and ends with successful sales to happy customers.

Happy customers are open to upselling, which happens when employees are able to persuade the customer to purchase a more expensive product, or an additional one.

What’s more, happy customers refer friends and family to your business, promoting additional sales and profits.

Satisfied customers often write positive testimonials about your business. These testimonials can persuade others of the value customers received from your company. Pleased customers can even become fans who voluntarily promote your business and products, creating another free marketing channel.

Key Takeaways

• CRM systems translate into accurate records that highlight the sales status.
• Record keeping supports the identification of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
• Understanding and analyzing your records empowers goal creation and achievement.
• Training fills in the gaps, allowing for improved response times, people management, and forecasting.

Conduct research to determine the CRM sales pipeline software that works best for you. Purchasing the right product for your business will result in improved business systems, well-trained employees, greater conversions, happier customers, and a sustainable, successful business.

The post Keeping Records of CRM Pipeline Sales Leads to Success appeared first on Business Opportunities.

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February 22, 2020 at 12:29PM

Radical Hydrogen-Boron Reactor Leapfrogs Current Nuclear Fusion Tech

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HB11 Energy, a spin-out company originating at the University of New South Wales, claims its hydrogen-boron fusion technology is already working a billion times better than expected. Along with this announcement, the company also announced a swag of patents through Japan, China and the USA protecting its unique approach to fusion energy generation. New Atlas reports: The results of decades of research by Emeritus Professor Heinrich Hora, HB11’s approach to fusion does away with rare, radioactive and difficult fuels like tritium altogether — as well as those incredibly high temperatures. Instead, it uses plentiful hydrogen and boron B-11, employing the precise application of some very special lasers to start the fusion reaction. Here’s how HB11 describes its "deceptively simple" approach: the design is "a largely empty metal sphere, where a modestly sized HB11 fuel pellet is held in the center, with apertures on different sides for the two lasers. One laser establishes the magnetic containment field for the plasma and the second laser triggers the ‘avalanche’ fusion chain reaction. The alpha particles generated by the reaction would create an electrical flow that can be channeled almost directly into an existing power grid with no need for a heat exchanger or steam turbine generator."
HB11’s Managing Director Dr. Warren McKenzie clarifies over the phone: "A lot of fusion experiments are using the lasers to heat things up to crazy temperatures — we’re not. We’re using the laser to massively accelerate the hydrogen through the boron sample using non-linear forced. You could say we’re using the hydrogen as a dart, and hoping to hit a boron , and if we hit one, we can start a fusion reaction. That’s the essence of it. If you’ve got a scientific appreciation of temperature, it’s essentially the speed of atoms moving around. Creating fusion using temperature is essentially randomly moving atoms around, and hoping they’ll hit one another, our approach is much more precise." He continues: "The hydrogen/boron fusion creates a couple of helium atoms. They’re naked heliums, they don’t have electrons, so they have a positive charge. We just have to collect that charge. Essentially, the lack of electrons is a product of the reaction and it directly creates the current."
The lasers themselves rely upon cutting-edge "Chirped Pulse Amplification" technology, the development of which won its inventors the 2018 Nobel prize in Physics. Much smaller and simpler than any of the high-temperature fusion generators, HB11 says its generators would be compact, clean and safe enough to build in urban environments. There’s no nuclear waste involved, no superheated steam, and no chance of a meltdown. "This is brand new," Professor Hora tells us. "10-petawatt power laser pulses. It’s been shown that you can create fusion conditions without hundreds of millions of degrees. This is completely new knowledge. I’ve been working on how to accomplish this for more than 40 years. It’s a unique result. Now we have to convince the fusion people — it works better than the present day hundred million degree thermal equilibrium generators. We have something new at hand to make a drastic change in the whole situation. A substitute for carbon as our energy source. A radical new situation and a new hope for energy and the climate."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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via Slashdot https://slashdot.org/

February 21, 2020 at 09:15PM

Healing Gear: The Stuff You Need at Home After Knee Surgery

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Recovery after surgery can be a long, bedraggled nightmare. But these products can help lift the load.

I write this as I’m at 3 weeks recovered from my first total knee replacement. It’s a big surgery with an extended period of recovery, rehabilitation, and rest. And I have another knee surgery coming up, so I’m learning from my mistakes from the first time around. After years of knee injuries and pain, I’m stoked to be on the right track.

Being a gear writer, it’s been interesting to note what I’m grabbing as I ramble through recovery. Before surgery, I scoured the internet to see which gear might be helpful for knee surgery — and little existed on the matter. Luckily, I have a platform to share with you what’s worked for me.

From compression wear to icing machines to comfort items, here’s what’s helped me out in these first few weeks.

Cold Therapy

Cold therapy is key to recovery. Not only does it reduce swelling in the joint, but it’s also a go-to for pain management. Skimping on this part of your rehab would be a huge mistake.

On advice from my doctor, I combine a cryotherapy machine with ice packs. Luckily, a friend of mine has a machine that I’m able to borrow. But you can find a ton of options online. Many people rent machines from medical device stores, but you can also buy an adequate machine for less than it costs to rent.

The pictured Aircast Cryo Cuff Cold Therapy Knee Solution ($110) is a gravity-powered option with good reviews, or you can up the ante with the motorized Polar Products Active Ice 3.0 Knee & Joint Cold Therapy System ($220).

Ice packs also prove to be invaluable as you move from place to place. I like the FlexiKold Gel Ice Packs, as there are a ton of options for sizes and packages that range from $10 to $28. Plus, ice packs are a universally good buy.

Aside from cryotherapy, you can use them to keep lunches cold or chill a wine bottle. I have four packs in rotation. It’s a thing.

Hydration

The pile of meds you’re about to take is gargantuan. And to stay on top of it, you’re going to be constantly drinking water. A small, packable water bottle becomes indispensable once you’re stuck on the couch or in bed. Plus, it saves your dutiful and helpful family members and friends from having to refill your water glass constantly.

Personally, I love the Takeya 24-ounce Actives Insulated Water Bottle ($25). Why? I can fit it in a purse. It fits into the drink holders in my truck. I can shove it into the pocket of a hoody. And I love the design of the mouthpiece. It’s also cute and comes in a ton of fun colors. But a classic Nalgene certainly holds a bit more water, or you can kick it old school and just use a repurposed Gatorade bottle.

The other side of hydration is that the meds have gifted me insanely dry skin. My PT tells me it’s just part of the game. A combo of Burts Bees Intensive Care Body Lotion ($12) and Bag Balm ($12) are seeing me through this otherwise lizard-like skin event that is surgery recovery.

Weird Medical Equipment

Here’s where things get … interesting. So my doc harped on me about getting a toilet riser, and I did. I only needed it for the first 3 days, but when you’re first out of surgery and everything in your leg is a mess, it’s honestly a lifesaver and worth the money. I went with one that didn’t have handles, but if you don’t have anything near your toilet for a handhold, I’d grab one with handles.

I also highly recommend are crutch pads ($13). Bruised armpits are no freakin’ joke. Luckily, they’re easily preventable. For under $15, you can easily avoid that and make your crutches just a bit cuter and much more comfortable. It’s a cheap, easy fix. Save your pits. Trust me on this one.

Some people like to get kits that include things to help with daily dressing or reaching stuff. I opted out. I just didn’t want to buy a ton of stuff that would gather dust. My mom helped me put on my socks. It worked out just fine.

The last thing I’ll add here is your classic tennis ball ($2). Myofascial massage has been really helpful throughout my recovery. I roll the ball as gently or as intensely as I feel like I need it around the scar and my leg muscles. The soft give of a tennis ball is easier on my rehabbing leg than a lacrosse or massage ball. And muscle soreness is such a huge part of the pain game. It helps so much.

Clothing

I’m certainly not going to tell you that you need a whole new wardrobe. But you might need a few additions. Men might have an easier time with clothes, as their workout pants are generally not yoga tights. Mine — on the other hand — were just that.

I knew I’d need wide-legged pants, and they proved harder to find than I thought. I ended up making a mistake and buying wide-legged pants without pockets. Pockets, it turns out, are the be-all, end-all of post-surgical necessities in clothing. Carrying cellphones, wallets, meds, water bottles, or any small knick-knack is a real downer when your hands are full of crutches and there are no pockets on your bod.

The pictured Basin & Ridge Plush Wide Leg Pant ($63, 30% Off) look to hit the mark, and I’ve got a pair in my cart for the upcoming surgery on my left knee.

Once you’ve graduated from wide-legged pants to regular, I find that going into the extreme opposite is most helpful. I’m talkin’ compression tights. I’ve been wearing Ridge Merino’s Crowley Compression Tight ($120), and the difference in a day with compression and a day without is huge.

Unfortunately, they’re currently sold out. But they’ll be back this summer, and a preorder should be available soon. And here’s a more affordable and highly reviewed pair for $26 currently on Amazon.

Preparing Your Home

The main thing you have to think about when prepping your home is safe mobility throughout and comfort therein. Decluttering hallways, bedrooms, bathrooms, and the living room are key to ease of movement. If you have thick rugs, you might want to consider moving them until your mobility increases.

I added an electric recliner to my small living room — less by choice of style than necessity — and it’s made a huge difference for both working remotely and comfortably as well as having a space that can easily support and accommodate the growing flexion in my knee. I also added a handheld showerhead, as I knew I wouldn’t be able to take full showers for a few weeks.

Depending on how much help you have during the day, you might want to put things like coffee cups and dishes on counters for ease of access. Some folks will keep a chair in each room so that they have someplace to rest or do chores as they’re recuperating. It’s crazy how intense your normal small walks can be in the first week of healing. So set yourself up for success.

Final Thoughts

There’s something to be said for preparing for more comfort during uncomfortable times. As much as we focus on gear that allows us to stay active, there’s that great other side of gear that simply allows us to remain comfortable, in control, and functional.

Over 600,000 people per year have knee replacements in the U.S., and that hardly touches the total number of knee operations. The good news is that you’re soon to be on your way beyond a lasting kind of pain and into the healing kind. I’m in the midst of that journey to wellness, and I wish you the best on yours.

The post Healing Gear: The Stuff You Need at Home After Knee Surgery appeared first on GearJunkie.

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February 21, 2020 at 04:23PM

I feel the need to help my son with his homework

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My son is in Kindergarten.  The school has given out a competitive assignment.  The kids are supposed to do a book report poster about their favorite Dr. Seuss book.

Of course, you expect a lot of kids are going to do Hop on Pop, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, and The Cat in the Hat.

That’s fine for them.  We’re different.

It is at this moment that I am very glad I own a copy of Dr. Seuss Goes to War: The World War II Editorial Cartoons of Theodor Seuss Geisel.

Yes, it is very true that before he became a renowned children’s author – his most popular books were all published in the 1950’s – he did political cartoons promoting the war effort in WWII.

The thing is, I know, KNOW, that as soon as my son brings in his book report poster about Dr. Seuss fighting Nazis, I’m going to get a call from the school, and maybe the Alabama Office of Child Protective Services.

That’s just too bad because it really is an absolutely fantastic book.

If you don’t own a copy, you should.  It’s available on Kindle Unlimited if you have that.

No just did Theodor Seuss Geisel promote the war effort against the Nazis, but he was amazingly critical of American Antisemitism, racism, segregation, and the treatment of blacks by the war industry.

Here is a selection of some of my favorite Dr. Seuss cartoons.

Criticizing the treatment of blacks:

 

Attacking American Antisemitism:

This one is particularly interesting because Charles Lindbergh was still a national hero in the pre-War era.

 

Just a general critique of racism in general.

You can see Dr. Seuss’ continued push against racism and discrimination in his children’s stories like The Sneetches.

The lessons from this book are as important and relevant as any of his other literature.

When I saw this book years ago, I knew that I had to buy it, and reading through it gave me an even greater appreciation for Dr. Seuss.

I just have a feeling Kindergarten teachers won’t see it that way.

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February 21, 2020 at 10:26AM

[Review] USCCA Tennessee Online Concealed Carry Course

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Looking for something to do on a Saturday night?

Well if you live in Tennessee, and don’t have a concealed carry license yet, what could be better than an online course to get your permit?

Before We Get Started

First things first: as of January 1st 2020, Tennessee now has two types of Concealed Carry Permits: Concealed Handgun Carry Permit (CHCP); and the Enhanced Handgun Carry Permit (EHCP). 

The EHCP is actually just a new name for the handgun carry permit issued by the state before January 1st 2020, which allows for both concealed carry and open carry. 

The CHCP only allows for concealed carry.

The trade-off is that the CHCP has fewer requirements, which can be satisfied through an online-only course.

For those of you looking for the EHCP, you’ll need to attend an in-person training course approved by the State.

Everyone else only interested in being able to carry concealed with a CHCP can take an online course like the one offered by the USCCA.

So What’s Involved?

After you pay for the course (for just one easy payment of $37.97!), you’ll gain access to the USCCA online CCW course. 

Because it’s an online course, you may think that it just involves a lot of sitting back and watching videos. And you’d be mostly right. Luckily, the 90-minute course offered by the USCCA does involve some interactive portions that keep things interesting. 

What’s more, because it’s a browser-based course, the interface is very user-friendly, with a simple and clean look.

Mixing things up with short videos and interactive portions.

The course consists of video segments followed by text portions that review the material addressed in the videos.

Some portions of the course also require user interaction to make sure you’re following along and not just letting the video play in the background while you watch TV.

Most importantly, unlike most online courses we’ve come across, you can’t just sit through the videos and scroll through the text and expect to complete the course. 

Certain points throughout the course require you to answer some simple questions on the topic before you can proceed to the next section.

At the very end of the course, there is a 50 question quiz to make sure you actually learn something!

As long as you score 80% or higher, you’ll pass.

Honestly, just paying attention and going through the course should get you easily over the 80% requirement.

Overall, with the way the short videos and interactive portions are structured, it actually broke up the course into good-sized chunks so things never got boring.

In fact, only two or three of the videos ever exceeded 5 minutes, with the average video length being only about 1 to 2 minutes. 

What’s Covered?

Because the course meets the state requirements for a CHCP, the topics covered aren’t really any surprise.

Everything from handgun basics, including the basic safety rules of firearms, to the difference between semi-automatics handguns and revolvers, and even single action vs double action are all covered in the course. 

Since it’s a concealed carry course, important topics like holster selection and even clothing are covered as well.

Basically, if you come into this course knowing nothing about firearms at all, at the end of the 90-minute lesson you’ll have a basic understanding of firearm safety and function, the laws surrounding use of deadly force, and some practical information for going about carrying concealed.

So What’s The Verdict?

Overall, the USCCA course definitely provides some value to shooters of all skill levels, from those with no skill at all, to experienced shooters with lots of range time under their belt. 

For those of you looking to get a CHCP from Tennessee, then this is definitely a great option you can do from the comfort of your home. 

This wouldn’t be a complete review, if we didn’t point out the one big issue that we came across. Near the end of the course, as the instructor went over the rules for carrying concealed, he stated that you have a duty to inform an officer that you were carrying concealed.

This actually isn’t true, as there is no duty to inform an officer unless you are asked. Not a huge deal, though still an important piece of information you want to make sure you are aware of. 

*Update* 2/25/2020: USCCA read this post and fixed the issue! Now that’s some fast response time.

Finally, keep in mind that just because this course meets the requirements for receiving a CHCP, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to get some range time with your handgun of choice. 

No amount of online learning can ever replace time spent actually handling and manipulating a firearm.

If nothing else, you’ll be able to figure out which holsters and what clothing works best for your new life as a CCW permit holder. 

What kind of class will you be attending? Think online classes are too easy or will they make CCWs more accessible? While you’re at it, you may also want to consider getting some CCW insurance too. Take a look at our reviews to see which works best for you. Oh…and Best Concealed Carry Holsters!

The post [Review] USCCA Tennessee Online Concealed Carry Course appeared first on Pew Pew Tactical.

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February 20, 2020 at 02:08PM

Microsoft To Bring Its Defender Antivirus Software To iOS and Android

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Microsoft said today it plans to bring its antivirus software, Defender Advanced Threat Protection, to phones and other devices running Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. From a report: The software, also called Defender ATP, is already available on Windows and MacOS. It offers features like preventive protection, post-breach detection and automated investigation and response, according to Microsoft. When it comes to mobile devices, Microsoft’s Rob Lefferts said that the Defender software could help companies protect employees from things like malware and phishing attacks. Apple’s and Google’s app stores are "pretty safe," Lefferts said, but "malware does happen on those platforms."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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February 20, 2020 at 04:34PM

Researchers See Eagle Torturing Bat by Repeatedly Dropping It in the Ocean

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February 19, 2020 at 04:42PM

Watch This Jetpack Pilot Zip Around Like a Real-Life Iron Man

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via Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com

February 17, 2020 at 08:45PM