3 Places I visit for Video and Image Media

Ryan Xavier - April 30, 2015


Video and Image media sites can be a very resourceful tool when it comes to the internet. They help inspire creativity, they teach, and they give us a way to express art over the internet. I'll be covering 3 site I use when I'm on the hunt for media for any given reason.

1.
YouTube is probably a name we are all familiar with. Its content focuses on Video media. Here you watch others videos or upload videos of your own. The really cool part about YouTube is the abundance of tutorial videos they have covering nearly any topic. This is really nice for self teachers like myself. Another cool feature of  YouTube is that they  offer a monetary incentive for  users videos who have reached a certain amount of views and have opted in to having adds play before their video. Also, if you like a particular users video content, you can subscribe to their feed, and get updates whenever they upload new content. Below shows the website view when watching a video.
As you'll notice the videos also have a short description, along with recommended videos on the right hand side that may correlate to the current video being watched.

2.
Photobucket is a media site I use for images. I like this site because I can upload and store photos here and access them from any internet capable device. Photo bucket also offers main-stream integrated features on their website. You can create all kinds of things with your photos on them like, cups, mouse pads, towels, calendars, etc. You can also create links to share you photo albums with anyone instantly! I think this is one of the better image hosting sites. You can also search and download photos from this site. Below is an example of the sites "browse" interface.

3.
Imgur is another photo media site I use. I use this site more for comedic image content. Most of the photos on this site are based on some level of satire. It hosts very witty photos including the all so viral MEMEs. Below is an example of a search for "Internet In Depth".  This site is definitely worth checking out in your downtime.

3 Blogs I'm Interested in Reading Regularly

Ryan Xavier - April 23, 2015

Software and Hacking

1.

XDA is a site I use regularly. It covers many topics related to mobile device development for all software platforms, with an emphasis on Android OS. The site has many tutorials on flashing different ROMs onto your phone as well as tips and tricks on optimization features for your device. They have in depth articles on nearly every smartphone or tablet to date, as well as comparisons and side by sides. There are also many articles related to the business side of the manufactures such as Google and Samsung. One of the coolest things I enjoy about this site is the in-depth guides on how to Compile Your Own Android SDK, which is more or less creating your own custom Android OS. There is also a ton of support and feedback on the site from senior developers. Another really fun part of XDA is that various employees at google post on this site and provide assistance to those learning from time to time. They are like magic unicorns that decide to grace you with their presence every now and then. Google regularly holds parties that host a lot of important people in the field of mobile technology or general technology for that matter. More regularly than not, these google employees will have postings for invites to these parties to regular members with over maybe 200 posts that contribute to the community in excess or develop high rated ROMs. I feel like this is such an amazing opportunity to come across! If you’re good at what you do and release a lot of builds, who knows, you could land yourself with a job on the Android Project!?

Here is an example of the layout of XDA for my phone. Its layed out really well to make it easy to reference important stats and different blogs/forums for information on the specified device.

2.

TonyMac is another bog I use regularly. This similar to XDA, covers computer software and hacking. Specifically, the site covers topics related to building your own or modifying your current computer to run OSX as its native operating system. I’m a huge fan of Apple, but not such a huge fan of Apple prices. Naturally this site appealed to me because it gave me the possibility of having an $8000.00 Mac Pro for around $2000.00-$4500.00 as a custom built PC with comparable, if not better specs that will be FULLY upgradable. This computer will be able to boot Linux, Windows, OSX or really, any other OS you want to run on it.

The amazing thing about this site is that it covers a lot of complex information, but in an intuitive educational way. I have learned a lot about computers and hardware from this site alone. The site also has a lot of insider information related to Macs and CustoMacs. The site has info about upcoming device releases, software updates, press releases and application information. One of the features I thought was amazing was their buyers guide. This is a list of every worth-while, compatible hardware component necessary to build whatever variant of CustoMac you'd like. You may think this would be easy as long as you’re running an Intel based computer, but there's actually much more to compatibility on these custom devices than atleast, I ever imagined. This digital repository gets updated as soon as newer hardware that can support the intended build gets released. This also ensures that if you want to go this route you will have a fully supported “Hackintosh”. The screenshots below show the Buyers Guide section of the site.

3.

TechCrunch is another fun blog that I use regularly. I like this one because I can also follow them on Facebook. I can click on their links and get redirected to the article on their webpage right from my feed.I don't have to go out to obtain their information. The things I find relevant are brought to me through my Facebook feed. TechCrunch covers nearly everything from A-Z when it comes to modern technology. They have awesome detailed reviews and ratings on computers, cell phones, TVs, startups, gadgets and the list goes on. Its really a one stop shop for all my mainstream tech needs. One of the more recent articles I stumbled upon was in regards to Google Launching Its Own Wireless Service called Project Fi.  The screenshot below gives an example of the elegant yet simplistic view of TCs weblog. The information is short but thorough. It gives me just enough information to be informed on the topic. I like  TC because of that; I always have something to look forward to on my breaks at work from homework.

These are just are just a few of the handful of weblogs I use on a regular basis. They keep me active and up to date in the ever changing world of technology.

3 Safety Suggestions I Need to Follow

BY RYAN XAVIER - APRIL 16, 2015

When it comes to online safety I like think I'm pretty educated. Though after reading some of the resources, I found my online safety habits to be a bit lazy. Most of my online passwords are just variations of the same password I have been using since high-school. I realized it may be time to re-assess the steps I take to secure my information.

Use two-factor authentication whenever possible. 

This is one feature I hadn't really ever investigated. After reading about this at Business Insider , I decided to give it a go on my google account. After enabling this feature on my desktop, I then tested it out on my laptop. After entering in my password to log into my gmail account I was prompted for a security code. Immediately following that I received a text message from google with the security code to enter. Once I entered the security code, it asked if I wanted to authorize my laptop for later use. I chose yes and there was my in box. I found this to be pretty nifty because now I receive a text message any time my account is attempted to be logged into from a computer I didn't authorize. While in the settings for two-factor setup, I found a couple other neat features. The first of which being the option to run a security check on your google account.

This checkup runs you through some basic settings to make sure your google account is as secure as their current features allow. While on this trail I also found another really amazing feature that google has created. Within the account settings page you can see a detailed list of every device that has accessed your account. This includes details as to what make of device is accessing your account, location of access, as well as date and time. You can then click the device to obtain even more information the the device. You can also deactivate devices from this page as well.

These features from what I can tell make it nearly impossible for my google account to be reached without my knowledge, and even then, it would still be extremely difficult to penetrate my fortress of a google account.

Use separate passwords for different services. 

This is an area that I fail miserably in. As I mentioned prior, I have been using the same password in different variants since high-school. After reading the Business Insider article I mentioned earlier I once again realized how bad this was. After doing so I will say I kept my major accounts the same as they were, but I decided to change the passwords on a few less important accounts. With my current job I have about 15 different passwords to applications we use on a daily basis that time-out rather quickly. I find comfort in not having the same mayhem in my personal digital life so I have always stuck with my basic password convention. As times are changing though, as I see fit, I may end up getting hardcore and having a unique random password for each of my accounts. After all, it does in the long run keep my personal data much more protected.

Use a Web Browser with Sandboxing Capabilities

When I think of sand boxing browsers, the childhood nerd in me comes out and I envision an ant farm.

And this isn't an all too crazy to envision really. In essence a sandboxed browser in terms of extensions or plug-ins means it keeps any potentially bad code from spreading outside the browser and damaging anything on your computer. So essentially in the same way the sandbox in the picture above prevents the ants from spreading outside of the frame to damage all your food my eating it, a sandboxed browser prevents malicious code from plug-ins or extensions to spread outside of the browser to potentially damage your computer by containing malware while its executing. I have always used Chrome but just never knew this was even a possible feature. Moving forward though, as times change, browsers change. I will make sure my future browsers do indeed contain the Sandboxing feature.

3 Productivity Web Tools

By Ryan Xavier - April 9th, 2015

Evernote   

Evernote is a great tool to sync notes, photos, reminders/alarms, and attachments across various platforms and devices. I primarily use it exactly for just that. I currently hold no bias to brands or operating systems. Having said that, I own a Samsung Note 3/Android 5.0, an iPad/iOS8, Mac Book Pro/OS X 10, and a custom built Desktop built to run OS X 10/Windows7/Windows 10. It has proven essential for me to be able to seemlessly sync important things such as notes and reminders and various other things to all of the devices for later access, from any device anywhere. I had originally found this application when Evernote was giving out Beta downloads through xda-developers.com  back in 2008. Below are some screen shots showing how easy the user interface is on all platforms including a link to their specified download.

Windows 7 Evernote Client

OS X Yosemite Evernote Client

    iPad/iOS 8 Evernote App

Samsung Note 3/Android 5.0 Evernote App

DropBox

DropBox is another great web-based, multi-platform, syncing tool I use regularly. I started using this a few years back when I needed to send a file that exceeded most email providers size limit of 25mb. I had heard of Dropbox before, through word of mouth but had never actually used it. Once I created an account it became a necessity I never knew I needed. Dropbox is really unique in the fact that there is no upload limit when uploading from the computer based client, but even if you don't want to use the client, you can still upload up to 10gb of data through their integrated upload tool on their website. On top of this; really up until Google Drive/Docs and Office 365/OneDrive came around, DropBox was one of the only other integrated online storage sites that lets you share these files/documents via a URL link site generates for you upon request. This link can then be sent to anyone so they can access and download that specific file without having access to the rest of your stored content. It also has some really great features on the mobile side of things. The most notable feature about their mobile app is their auto upload feature for photos. This is as it states: it uploads the photos I take in real-time for immediate review. Lets say on my grandmothers computer, just by going to the website and logging in. This has proven beneficial as it reduces the need to connect my phone to a computer to transfer photos. Below again are some screenshots of Dropbox in action across several platforms. When you install the client, it just adds a folder into windows explorer (PC) or finder (Mac). This allows you to easily drag and drop files into the folder for automatic upload to Dropbox.

Windows 7 DropBox Client

Windows 7 Web Interface

OS X Yosemite Client

OS X Yosemite Web Interface

Ipad/iOS 8 DropBox App

Samsung Note 3/Android 5.0 DropBox App

Google Play Music

Google Play Music is also another Web Tool I found a couple years back. I found it due to it being part of the update package for the Android OS. Google Music, at the time, was the only interface that would let you upload up to 25GB of your own music collection to an online server; and then let you sync that content across any device with an Internet connection. This was mind boggling to me as I am a music fanatic who doesn't like to waste the space on my phone just for all of "my" music. The amazing thing about Google Music is that it also lets you download your content to your devices (limited to 10 registered devices under your linked gmail account) giving you access to your music offline. Google play also has a subscription service that lets you listen to online radio similar to Pandora. It seems Google is using better algorithms than Pandora to select what plays and what should match your style, but you can give it a try yourself as google offers a 30 day free trial of their paid music service (becomes $9.99/month after the trial expires). Some may not consider this a Web productivity tool, but I do. My music is my life. It helps me study and research as well as clears my head for thought. Not so much nowadays, but there was a time where I was always reinstalling fresh versions of windows own my computer for various reason and I used google music as a data migration tool. I can strongly say today that had I not had Google Music 2 years ago, 25gb worth of good music would have been lost in the sands of time. Thankfully though 20 years from now if I haven't acquired dementia and can still remember my Google credentials I'll be able to still have access to what I currently value so much today.

Windows 7 Web Interface

OS X Yosemite Web Interface

iPad/iOS8 Google Music App

Samsung Note 3/Android 5.0 Google Music App

These are just a few of the Productivity Web Tools I use on a daily basis. They may not tailor to everyones needs but greatly help in the digital life that I lead.