Tech companies are constantly harvesting data about users. None of us believe our phone numbers, email addresses, or home and work locations are still private, but this is, unfortunately, the cost of doing business with companies like Facebook, Google, and Apple, some of whom can be trusted more than others with that data. But at least when you scan your fingerprint or face into your iPhone, that data stays private and doesn’t leave the phone....

Researchers have developed a new drone that exploits security flaws to detect Wi-Fi networks inside buildings. The device can fly near a building, then use the inhabitants’ Wi-Fi network to identify and locate all Wi-Fi-enabled devices inside in a matter of seconds. Experts say it’s an example of the privacy risks inherent in many Wi-Fi devices. “Wi-Fi and the closely related short-range technologies like Bluetooth are all radio technologies, which means that they have signals that can be identified, located, recorded, tracked, or jammed,” Mike Parkin, an engineer at cybersecurity company Vulcan Cyber, told Lifewire in an email interview....

Sometimes the word “Anyone” can be replaced with “Anything” in this acronym, but in general, it’s usually “Anyone” to give reference to an actual person (or at least a living thing, like an animal). Why People Say ‘Bae’ Bae is an acronym that’s typically used to refer to: a boyfriend/girlfrienda spousea lovera crusha childa petanyone considered to be the most important person in another person’s life The trend is particularly popular with teens and young adults — many of which type the lowercase version of bae as a word itself as an alternative to babe or boo on social media....

What Is a Ratio on TikTok? A ratio in social media describes a particular relationship between different kinds of engagement. Two major things can create a ratio, but the specifics depend on the platform. Put simply, a ratio occurs when either: A video has more comments than likes, orA comment has more likes than the video it’s replying to. Both of these can happen on a single TikTok, but either is a ratio....

There are many causes of file corruption, such as a software bug, a virus, a computer crash, or bad sectors on a hard drive. Here’s a look at what data corruption means in computing, what creates the problem, and what you can do about it. What Is Data Corruption? Every file has a header, sometimes called a magic number, that tells a file system what to do with it when it’s accessed....

What Is a CR2 File? A file with the CR2 file extension is a Canon Raw Version 2 image file created by a Canon digital camera. They are based on the TIFF file specification, so they’re usually high quality, uncompressed, and large. The 3D modeling program called Poser uses CR2 files, too. However, instead of storing photos, the Poser CR2 files are character rigging files used to hold information about human details like joints and bones, and where and how much they bend....

What Is a JPG (JPEG) File? A JPG or JPEG file (both pronounced “jay-peg”) is an image file. While some JPG image files use the .JPG file extension and others use .JPEG, they are both the same type of file. How to Open a JPG or JPEG File JPG files are supported by all image viewers and editors. It’s the most widely accepted image format. You can open JPG files with your web browser, like Chrome or Firefox (drag local JPG files onto the browser window), and built-in Microsoft programs like the photo viewer and Paint application....

Do You Need a Router if You Have a Modem? If you have more than one device on your network (and you almost certainly do), you require a router to manage the local network those devices comprise together. Since most home users today have multiple devices (taking into account computers, mobile devices, streaming boxes, gaming consoles, and more), network device manufacturers made life easier by building these into a single package for some models....

What Is the Definition of a Network? A network can have a pretty broad definition. At its simplest, it always involves two or more computers being linked either physically with cables or via a Wi-Fi connection. By being linked, these computers can share their resources, files, or internet connection without manually connecting on each occasion. Where networks can get much more complex is when it comes to size. A family home might, for instance, have a network consisting of two home computers and a Wi-Fi connection (which the family uses for various additional devices such as a smart TV, streaming box, smartphones, etc....

What Is a PUP? A PUP (potentially unwanted program) is any program that you do not specifically approve for download onto your computer. Sometimes the software maker decides to include them for helpful reasons. For example, a piece of software might come with a third-party installer to help ease installation. This is considered legal in most cases because of the End User License Agreements (EULA) that come standard with software downloads....

Rear projection TVs were at their peak of production and popularity in the early-to-mid-2000s, dropping off substantially in 2008, when most manufacturers halted production over lacklustre sales due to the reduced cost and increased popularity, of LCD TVs. The last rear projection TVs were released in 2012 by Mitsubishi. What Does a Rear Projection TV Look Like? Rear projection TVs don’t look too dissimilar to CRT TVs of their era, although they are often a little more compact, with considerably less depth—especially at larger sizes....

What Are Steering Wheel Audio Controls? Steering wheel audio controls make it less dangerous to interact with your car radio when you’re driving. The basic idea is to use these controls without taking your hands off the steering wheel or taking your eyes off the road. Specific controls vary from one vehicle to the next, but they often allow you to adjust the volume, switch from the radio to auxiliary inputs, change channels, skip songs, and more....

The company released this format in 2010 and has a page dedicated to the compression techniques that WebP uses. The following browsers and operating systems support WebP: ChromeMicrosoft EdgeFirefoxOperaAndroid’s built-in browserSafari 14 and up How Do I Open a WebP File? You don’t need any special software or a particular web browser to open a WebP file. In most cases, you can double-click it, and it will open in your default browser....

Most of the files we encounter in normal computer use will likely have the archive attribute turned on, like the image you downloaded from your digital camera, the PDF file you just downloaded…run-of-the-mill files like that. How Is an Archive File Created? When someone says an archive file has been created, it doesn’t mean that the contents of the file were changed, or that the file was converted into some kind of different format called archive....

The optical drive normally goes by other names like a disc drive, ​ODD (abbreviation), CD drive, DVD drive, or BD drive. Some popular optical disc drive makers include LG, ASUS, Memorex, and NEC. In fact, one of these companies probably manufactured your computer or other device’s optical drive, even though you never see their name anywhere on the drive itself. Optical Disc Drive Description An optical drive is a piece of computer hardware about the size of a thick softcover book....

Touch ID lets you use a fingerprint to verify your identity on Apple devices that support it. Touch ID, along with your password and personal identification number (PIN), helps secure your device. While a password or PIN is something you know, a fingerprint is biometric, or something you are. Touch ID allows you to verify your identity quickly, without having to enter a password or PIN. On an iPhone or iPad, Apple allows you to choose to use Touch ID for four distinct tasks:...

Depending on the browser you use, the search box types right to left, and the results display mostly backward. You can search for words either backward or forward, but typing them backward is more fun. Is This a Joke? ElgooG is a parody site originally designed and hosted by All Too Flat, a parody and comedy website. Although elgooG is not affiliated with Google appears in the fine print at the bottom of the elgooG search screen, a search of the Whois website reveals Google is indeed the owner of the site....

If you already use other Google products and find them particularly useful for a business or organization that you work with, Google Sites might just be another one to add to your digital toolbox. Here’s what you need to know about it. A Brief Intro to Google Sites Google Sites is an app that’s a part of Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), which is a group of Google’s business productivity apps, including Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, and more....

Google Voice screens calls, blocks numbers, and applies rules to each caller. When you receive a voicemail message, Google Voice transcribes it and sends you an email or text message alert. Get Started With Google Voice To sign up for Google Voice, you need a Google account and a U.S.-based mobile or landline phone number. The exception is Google Fi, which enables your Google Voice number to become your regular number....

What Is HDCP? High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) was developed by Intel as a security feature to protect copyrighted material. It requires compatibility between the sender and the receiver. In other words, a cable box with built-in HDCP technology will only work with TVs that are also HDCP-compatible. Think of HDCP as a security license key for installing a computer program. It works by encrypting a digital signal with a code that requires authentication from both the signal transmitting device and the signal receiving device....