Intel's PC-on-a-stick dongle now available for preorder
The Compute Stick is not designed to be a desktop or laptop replacement, but rather an alternative for people who want to do some quick computing.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Sunday, April 5, 2015
AT&T Is Watching Your Web Browsing; Here's the Pricey Way to Opt Out
April 5, 2015 |
AT&T's (NYSE: T ) low-cost Google (NASDAQ: GOOG ) (NASDAQ: GOOGL ) Fiber alternative comes with a fairly huge "catch".
On the positive side, "GigaPower" service, which is offered mostly in markets where the company competes with Google, offers very high-speed home fiber-optic Internet service for as low as $70 a month. That's the same price the search giant charges, and on the surface it seems like a fair deal.
The problem is that this price requires customers to opt in to AT&T's "Internet Preferences" program, "which gives the company permission to examine each customer's Web traffic," according to Ars Technica. This leads to targeted ads appearing when you visit websites, email offers coming to your inbox, and even junk mail sent to your home.
Opting out of the traffic-recording program will cost you a minimum of another $29 a month. Add in AT&T's phone and television service through GigaPower and you will pay as much as $60 a month in privacy fees to keep AT&T from snooping on you, according to the technology website. To make a bad deal even worse, certain installation and modem rental fees are waived for people who take the privacy-busting deal, making the cost for AT&T to not record your Web browsing even higher.
GigaPower promises speeds that are comparable to what Google offers. Source: Screenshot.
You have to give AT&T credit for gumption as its Internet Preferences Web page works really hard to sell the program as a positive. The company attempts to sell the idea that it offers better pricing in exchange for customers letting the company "use your individual web browsing information, like the search terms you enter and the web pages you visit, to tailor ads and offers to your interests."
AT&T would have you believe this is a good thing that won't necessarily lead to you receiving more ads when you are online (though it might) but getting ones "more suited to your interests." The company laid out the following examples:
- If you search for concert tickets, you may receive offers and ads related to restaurants near the concert venue.
- After you browse hotels in Miami, you may be offered discounts for rental cars there.
- If you are exploring a new home appliance at one retailer, you may be presented with similar appliance options from other retailers.
AT&T is taking advantage of customers
Sure, some customers might want the type of advertising AT&T describes above. Most people might even be indifferent.
Where AT&T has gone wrong -- and why it's hard to see GigaPower as an alternative to Google Fiber for anyone with a choice between the two -- is that opting out should not come with a penalty fee. This deal might be more palatable if the company was more up front about what it is doing.
Maybe if the base price were higher and customers received a discount for agreeing to have their Web activities tracked, Internet Preferences would seem a little less sinister.
That's a subtle difference, but one that would put more power in customers' hands.
Of course, doing it that way would mean AT&T would not advertise the same price Google offers. Listing a higher price and showing that it was willing to meet the search leader's deal only with a significant customer concession would make it clear that GigaPower and Google Fiber are not comparable even if their networks and speeds are.
Since GigaPower is being offered specifically as an answer to Google Fiber it's hard to see how any customer would pick the AT&T service over one that does not track their activities in minute detail.
This $19 trillion industry could destroy the Internet
One bleeding-edge technology is about to put the World Wide Web to bed. And if you act right away, it could make you wildly rich. Experts are calling it the single largest business opportunity in the history of capitalism... The Economist is calling it "transformative"... But you'll probably just call it "how I made my millions." Don't be too late to the party -- click here for one stock to own when the Web goes dark.
One bleeding-edge technology is about to put the World Wide Web to bed. And if you act right away, it could make you wildly rich. Experts are calling it the single largest business opportunity in the history of capitalism... The Economist is calling it "transformative"... But you'll probably just call it "how I made my millions." Don't be too late to the party -- click here for one stock to own when the Web goes dark.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
From Breast Cancer To Better Skin: Is Rose Hip The New Natural Wonder ‘Drug’?
Korin MillerApril 1, 2015
The rose hip is the fruit of the rose plant — and it may have some major health and beauty benefits. (Photo: Getty Images)
Miranda Kerr slathers it on her face before she goes to bed at night, Rose Byrne swears it helps regulate her sensitive skin, and Kate Middleton’s facialist reportedly uses it, too. But while rose hip seed oil has a serious celebrity following, new research suggests rose hip itself might have powerful health benefits, too.
A new study from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University found that rose hip extract reduces the growth and movement of cells from triple negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of cancer that typically affects young women.
Researchers said in the study that they chose to analyze rose hip extract because of its flavonoids and polyphenols that have the potential to prevent cell growth and movement. For the study, scientists treated tissue cultures of triple negative breast cancer cells with different concentrations of rose hip extract, and found that exposure to the highest concentration decreased breast cancer cell growth by 50 percent.
While more research is needed on the effect of rose hips on cancer cell growth, experts say the fruit of the rose plant has already been found to be good for general wellness. Registered dietitian Robin Barrie Kaiden tells Yahoo Health that rose hips can contain up to 60 times as much vitamin C as an orange, provide a good dose of immune-boosting vitamin A, and can act as a mild diuretic or laxative to relieve constipation.
Related: Stay Hay Fever Free With These Herbalist-Approved Remedies
Kaiden says rose hips can be taken daily and eaten raw, blended in a blender, or soaked in water overnight and then cooked in water for about a half hour. They’re also found in herbal teas, jams, syrups, pies, wine, bread, and even many over-the-counter cold-fighting products.
While there are many ways to ingest rose hips, registered dietitian Vandana Sheth tells Yahoo Health that fresh hips are the best way to get the high levels of vitamin C, since the processing methods used to create the dried version can strip out a lot of the nutrients. Just be careful to eat the outer layers only since the hairy, inner seeds of the fruit can irritate the intestines.
But the fruit’s perks don’t end there: It turns out the skin benefits of rose hip seed oil isn’t overstated by celebrities, either. “There is evidence to suggest that rose hip seed oil can help the integrity of the skin,” board-certified dermatologistCynthia Bailey, MD, tells Yahoo Health. “It has anti-inflammatory and anti-swelling benefits, and is also a good antioxidant to fight free radical damage.”
Related: A Rosier Outlook For Depression, Thanks To This Herb
Bailey says rose hip seed oil can help moisturize your hair and nails, and increase the strength of your skin barrier to help your skin stay hydrated.
Rose hip seed oil naturally contains high levels of linolenic, linoleic, and oleic fatty acids, which are the building blocks for healthy, plump skin, says beauty expert Mally Steve Chakola, founder of M. Steves, a natural beauty line that uses rose hip seed oil as its signature ingredient. Chakola tells Yahoo Health that in addition to increasing moisture in the skin, rose hip seed oil can also help bring balance to people with acne-prone skin and heal the appearance of acne scars.
So, should we all become rose hip devotees? Maybe. While the fruit has many benefits, rose hips can interact with some drugs, so it’s best to consult your doctor first.
Read This Next: 1,000-Year-Old Medicinal Remedy Shows Promise Against MSR Superbug
You can finally stop Verizon’s supercookies from tracking you – here’s how
Zach Epstein
verizon-sign-lowell-mcadam
By now you’ve undoubtedly heard of Verizon’s “supercookies,” the unstoppable tracking cookies that Verizon uses to track every single unencrypted website you visit on your mobile device, whether you like it or not. After taking a tremendous amount of heat from users and even consumer rights organizations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Verizon said back in January that it would create a means for users to opt out of its supercookie tracking.
Now, Verizon has finally created three ways for users to opt out of this invasive tracking technique — here’s everything you need to know.
First and foremost, let’s address what these “supercookies” are and why Verizon uses them. This is perhaps best summarized on the FAQ page for Verizon’s Relevant Mobile Advertising (RMA) program.
Here’s the important part:
When you use your mobile device, you often see ads on websites and apps. Using information we have from customers, we help marketers reach audiences with more relevant messaging.
The information we use for this program includes the postal address we have for you and certain consumer information such as your device type and language preference, as well as demographic and interest categories obtained from other companies. This information might include your gender, age range, and interests (i.e. sports fan, frequent diner, or pet owner).
In addition, we will use an anonymous, unique identifier we create when you register on our websites. This may allow an advertiser to use information they have about your visits to online websites to deliver marketing messages to mobile devices on our network. We do not share information that identifies you personally outside of Verizon as part of this program.
Some examples of Relevant Mobile Advertising could include: For a local restaurant that wants to advertise only to people who live within 10 miles or for a retailer advertising to people who have visited its website online, we help enable these ads to mobile devices on our network.
The Relevant Mobile Advertising Program uses a unique identifier that is inserted in certain web traffic to deliver ads to your mobile device. This identifier, known as a Unique Identifier Header or UIDH, is also used for other purposes such as authenticating devices on our network. More information about the UIDH can be found here.
The key here is that the UIDH cannot be killed by simply blocking cookies in your mobile browser settings, as is the case with more conventional (and less invasive) web tracking.
But now, you can finally opt out.
Verizon subscribers have three choices when it comes to opting out of the RMA program. First, you can visit this page on Verizon’s website. Simply log in and follow the on-screen instructions to opt out of RMA. A similar opt-out procedure is also available in the My Verizon mobile app.
Finally, subscribers can call Verizon on the phone at 1-866-211-0874 and request to opt out of the Relevant Mobile Advertising program.
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