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Creating a flowchart to walk through the steps of a project falls halfway between crafting a basic text document and an art project. You want to create a visual representation of your tasks that brings boring, stogy text to life. But once you’re digging into a hardcore graphics app to handle your flowchart, you’re already going deeper and burning more time than you likely wanted to spend. Zen Flowchart is a decidedly happy medium between the two, capable of fleshing out a sequence of events with top-notch visual flair you can’t find in a Microsoft Word — all without getting dragged into the weeds of using an Adobe Illustrator....

“Everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer, should learn a computer language, because it teaches you how to think…I view computer science as a liberal art.” – Steve Jobs Art and computer science feel like a pair of disciplines that just don’t mix. But data analysis isn’t just ones and zeroes. In fact, it’s been a long time since all that data was really just about all that data....

Hola pandemic pals, Remember when everyone was ripping on millennials for eating avocado toast? The big idea was that they were spoiled because they smeared expensive fruit on their toast instead of butter or jam like everyone else. But I live in Mexico where avocados are very cheap. And, even during a pandemic, they’re plentiful year-round. From what I understand, it’s pretty hard to even get an avocado in some places in the US right now, and they were always expensive there....

The camera, which now sports a revamped 24MP APS-C sensor with on-sensor phase detection, will go on sale in February for $700. The release will coincide with the launch of Fujifilm’s new budget lens, the XC35mmF2, which will cost only $200. As you can expect from devices at this price point, weather sealing is unfortunately out of the question. [Read: A love letter to my most loyal companion, the Fujifilm X100F] The good news, though, is the X-T200 shoots 4K with no crop....

It describes the use of gambling-like “loot boxes” in games, the hotly debated notion of video game addiction and, to a lesser extent, the “predatory techniques” of using user data and AI to increase spending in freemium games (free to play games which are monetized through in-app transactions and advertising). The process of monetizing and collecting data through video games does require scrutiny, as it can be problematic for some users....

According to a report from Variety, a group called Truth Initiative approached Turner, whose esports Eleague team broadcasts Gears of War. This was apparently the catalyst for removing depictions of smoking in the new game, Gears of War 5. That’s an odd choice: off the top of my head, I can only recall one character ever lighting up in Gears of War, and that was Michael Barrick. He sort of skates by, in my opinion, because he’s not some suave player character — he’s an older dude who chomps on a cigar....

Gamers gotta game. And because the game never ends, there’s almost always at least one cool little game accessory that they’re considering. Because who wants to sink into 48 straight hours of Fortnite in a crummy chair? Or with a fritzy headset? Or a controller that can’t whoop up on those fools with the platform system standard-issue controller? Gamers need to level up. Thankfully, we’re here to help, with 10 gaming accessories that will elevate your entire gaming experience....

GitHub announced its AI-assisted code writing feature called Copilot back in June. On the eve of its GitHub Universe conference starting today, the company said that the AI is now helping to write 30% of code on the platform. In an interview with Axios, Oege de Moor, VP of GitHub Next — the team that works on the copilot function — said that 50% of devs who’ve tried it have kept using it....

On Wednesday, they company announced its plans to introduce three Mobile Power Generators (MPGs), using its HYDROTEC fuel cell power cubes. Simply put, MPGs can produce large amounts of electricity anywhere, without burning fossil fuels, or expanding a local power grid. In the case of GM, the generators can put out power ranging from 60kW to 600kW, but what exactly will they bring to the table? Let’s break it down:...

The company has requested government approval to experiment with the next-gen Wi-Fi technology in dozens of states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. The plan is to “conduct radio experiments in and near the 6GHz band (5650 MHz – 7125 MHz)” in select cities in each of those states. Google is mostly targeting one or two cities in each state, with the exception of California, where it plans to run trials in seven cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco....

As noted by Mishaal Rahman over at XDA, there is a high brightness mode hidden in the Pixel 4’s code. By default, the phone is limited tops out at about 444 nits. That’s okay, but it pales in comparison to something like the Galaxy Note 10+’s 1,308 nit peak brightness. It’s fine for most conditions but can make the phone hard to see in direct sunlight, especially when trying to watch videos or view photos....

The project, called GameSnacks, hosts many simple games such as Tower and Road Fury. You can try some of these games on the project’s website as well. [Read: Project xCloud gets a test run on iPhones (but don’t get too excited)] The Area 120 team says that on devices with RAM lower than 1GB and connection slower than 1Mbps, games often take over 10 seconds to open up. So, you can understand it’s quite frustrating....

As a recap, we’re expecting several major changes for the Pixel 4 on both the hardware and software fronts. The most obvious change is that the phone will feature two rear cameras, with one of them capable of capturing ultra-wide-angle images. There’s no telephoto lens, but it’s likely the company has made further improvements to its super-res zoom feature, partly negating the need for that bit of optics. The company is also expected to introduce an astrophotography mode to help you capture the stars....

Far Cry 6. Battlefield 2042. Returnal. If you’re a PlayStation fan, you may well be hoping at least one of those triple-A titles is under the tree with your name on it this year. Of course, if you really want to get the most out of those games, you need somebody to play with. And since Grandma and the cat are pretty poor at cutting edge gameplay, PlayStation Plus is basically an essential for any PlayStation owner....

The next version looks destined for further contrasting reactions. WordPress this week shared new details on what to expect in release 5.9. A block party? Set for release on January 25, WordPress 5.9 will add a range of updates, including: The next generation of themes, including a new default theme called Twenty Twenty-Two More than 30 theme blocks Extra design tools Improvements to List View The most notable change could be deeper integration of the block editor, which is both loathed and loved by users....

As the Black Lives Matter movement has called worldwide attention to the systemic racism and violence perpetuated against Black Americans, as well as the widespread abuse of power among police, many companies have raced to voice their support in one way or another. While some streaming services — such as The Criterion Channel — have lauded and highlighted the work of Black filmmakers, WarnerMedia is taking the opposite tack by removing one of its more divisive and problematic films, David O....

I try to limit the number of icons displayed on my homepage to the ones I use every day. The rule is simple: if I haven’t used an app for more than 3 days, I move it to another page. The fact I have less information to look at helps reduce cognitive load 100 percent of the times I unlock my phone. I removed all red badges from the homepage icons (except Slack and work email) to reduce anxiety and the feeling that I need to click on certain icons in the first place — because I really don’t....

— Frances Mao (@francesmao) February 17, 2021 Why did it come to this? Australia’s argument while drawing up this law was that big tech benefits from showing news on its platform (like Facebook’s News Feed and Google’s search results), so it should pay media sites. Facebook and Google reasoned that it’s not mandatory for publishers to make their content available on their platforms. Plus, said publishers earn advertising revenue through clicks generated from these tech companies’ platforms....

Gravity is the reason things with mass or energy are attracted to each other. It is why apples fall toward the ground and planets orbit stars. Magnets attract some types of metals, but they can also push other magnets away. So how come you feel only the pull of gravity? In 1915, Albert Einstein figured out the answer when he published his theory of general relativity. The reason gravity pulls you toward the ground is that all objects with mass, like our Earth, actually bend and curve the fabric of the universe, called spacetime....

Background: “Donald J. Trump’s term ended on 2021-01-11 19:49:00.” pic.twitter.com/Ntl1BSqsb9 — Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) January 11, 2021 Buzzfeed’s Christopher Miller appears to be the first to report the US State Department’s website made changes to the president’s page stating “Donald J. Trump’s term ended on 2020-12-17 11:04:57.” The timestamp (2020-12-17 11:04:57 above) appears to change over various cached versions with many (including the one in Miller’s tweet) showing 11 January as the date instead of 12 January....