BlizzCon 2021 is the latest big event to switch to an at-home format, with other shows like Fanime and E3 having already announced a similar shift. As such, BlizzCon’s approach—favoring live streamed panels, virtual performances, and new events such as a Diablo-themed Dungeons & Dragons live play by the cast of Critical Role—puts it on the ragged edge of the new normal. Expect other shows throughout the year to look here for further inspiration, as more cons switch to a virtual approach for safety’s sake....

Mechanical speaker failures typically happen when the cone in a speaker is forced to move further than it was designed to do, and thermal failures happen when a speaker is hit with too much power and delicate internal components either melt or burn. In most cases, car speakers blow out due to accidents or carelessness, like cranking up the volume too high and leaving it like that for too long....

According to reports from Bloomberg’s reliable rumormonger, Mark Gurman, Apple’s next-generation MacBook Pros will come with an SD card slot. Nerds are in rapture, and being able to plug your camera’s storage card directly into your laptop is very handy. But why do we love SD cards so much? And can they do anything else? “I generally use the mini SD card formats, and have adapters in the form of USB sticks and full-sized SD cards,” technology consultant Smythe Richbourg told Lifewire via Twitter....

Until now, people could only appeal to restore content that Facebook took down, but the latest update allows users to appeal to the board what content they think needs to be removed. Experts say it’s a step in the right direction to make content moderation on the platform better, but, overall, won’t address Facebook’s real issues. “I know [Facebook has] a diverse panel, but I think Facebook has a long way to go, and this is just a drop in the ocean,” Tom Leach, the co-founder and director of Hike Agency, told Lifewire over the phone....

Bethesda Softworks announced last week that a new original story with the fictional archaeologist and famed explorer, Indiana Jones, is in the works. It’s news that came as a surprise to many, and leaves fans hoping the studio that brought them Wolfenstein and Fallout will be the perfect home for Indy. While details on the game are scarce, longtime gamers expect it to have the same kind of high-quality and expansive open world that Bethesda is known for....

I say eight years because I discount the 2016 reboot that purely served as a tie-in to the mediocre movie of the same name. Canonically, Into The Nexus was the last game in the series that built upon the nearly two-decade-long story I’ve invested my time into, and it’s that history I’m excited to continue with the latest installment. Ratchet & Clank is one of those series that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside....

Widgets are super handy, glanceable quick-launchers for apps on your iPhone, and as of the newly launched iPadOS 15, your iPad, too. As we saw over the past year, not all apps are suited to widgets. Sometimes, they add more confusion than convenience. But when they fit, they fit, and podcasts apps are just perfect. “App widgets are ideal for information that can be consumed ‘at a glance,’ like sport scores, stock prices, weather forecasts, photos, etc....

Companies are producing consumer-focused devices based on neuroscience to help our brains optimize to their fullest. While the market for these consumer devices is not as popular as wearable smartwatches, the next decade or so could see everyday consumers using these devices. “The next revolution will really be the brain, and we want to make that useful for everyday people, not just people who are able to afford it,” Iain McIntyre, the CEO and co-founder of humm, told Lifewire in a phone interview....

“I just wanted someone who could make mistakes, because everyone is so perfect on Twitch it hurts. It hurts because I cannot be perfect and I just sometimes want to hear a single mistake,” she said jokingly in a phone interview with Lifewire. “I remember thinking at the moment I was searching, I was thinking ‘I can try it.’ I always live by that motto: if it doesn’t work then it doesn’t work…but it did, I guess....

Overall Findings Choosing between a wired and wireless network depends mainly on how serious you are as a gamer. If you require speed and consistent, reliable connections, then you will almost certainly need a wired broadband connection. If you prefer convenience and would like to minimize clutter, or if you want to be able to play from anywhere within your home, then a decent wireless connection will do fine. Wired Video Game Networks Although most homes have wireless internet networks, wireless networks aren’t as reliable as traditional wired setups....

A recent beta version of macOS Monterey contains references to a High-Power Mode. We’re already familiar with Low-Power Mode, which reduces performance of iPhones, iPads, and Macs to increase battery life. High-Power Mode is expected to do the opposite, letting you crank the computer up to the max, even at the expense of battery life. It sounds…useful. But what is it good for, exactly? “Professional software could take advantage of it....

Support for working with UNC paths in Unix and other operating systems use cross-platform file sharing technologies like Samba. UNC Name Syntax UNC names identify network resources using a specific notation. These names consist of three parts: a host device name, a share name, and an optional file path. These three elements are combined using backslashes: The Host-Name Section The host-name portion of a UNC name can consist of either a network name string set by an administrator and maintained by a network naming service like DNS or WINS, or by an IP address....

Even the powerful Xbox One X revision, the excellent value of the Game Pass Ultimate subscription, and acquiring loads of notable game studios weren’t enough to save the generation. The Xbox Series X represented an opportunity for Microsoft to start over with a new generation of console gaming. Microsoft took a two-tiered approach this time, with the less powerful Series S and flagship Series X sharing the same basic hardware and playing the same basic games....

NightWare is an Apple Watch app that helps treat nightmares stemming from disorders like PTSD. It works by monitoring smartwatch motion and heart rate data to detect bad dreams and interrupts them without waking the user up with a vibration. The app is supposed to be used only with a prescription and that’s a good thing, observers say. “The downside to this approach is that it doesn’t do anything about the adrenaline response, so I’d be concerned about the adrenaline disrupting sleep even after the app wakes the user,” Dr....

Winnebago industries just revealed its new electric recreational vehicle (RV) concept. Companies are working on everything from electric blimps to electric and autonomous railway vehicles. It’s all part of an effort to reduce pollution through alternatives to gas-guzzling cars. “Conventional fuels that are used in these vehicles tend to produce greenhouse gasses and other pollutants that are harmful to human and environmental health,” Ramteen Sioshansi, an engineering professor at Ohio State University and IEEE Fellow who studies electric vehicles, told Lifewire in an email interview....

And with that command, I began a revolutionary experience with my Oculus Quest 2 virtual reality headset. Oculus is rolling out an update that lets the headset listen for voice commands, and I found bypassing the controllers to be a liberating experience that makes navigating the VR world much easier. Voice control isn’t entirely new for the Oculus, of course. The company previously updated its software to let users control the device through voice commands....

A device may also receive a Code 10 error if a driver generates an error that Device Manager doesn’t understand. In other words, a Code 10 error can sometimes be a very generic message indicating some kind of unspecified driver or hardware problem. The Code 10 error could apply to any hardware device in Device Manager, though most Code 10 errors appear on USB and audio devices. The Code 10 Error The Code 10 error will almost always display in the following way: Details on Device Manager error codes like Code 10 are available in the Device Status area in the device’s properties....

Below are the best free Windows 7 gadgets (they work in Windows Vista, too) that can be used to help keep track of system resources: If you like to keep track of how much memory and CPU is being used at any given time, give the CPU Meter gadget a try. This is pretty basic in that there are no fancy options, but it does what it does well. If you frequently check the free space available on your hard drives, this gadget will definitely save you some time....

What Is a 3GP File? Created by the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), a file with the 3GP file extension is a 3GPP multimedia file. This video container format was developed with the intention to save on disk space, bandwidth, and data usage, which is why they’re often seen created from, and transferred between, mobile devices. It’s the required, standard format for media files sent using Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) and Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services (MBMS)....

Here are four important things you should know about Wi-Fi security. WEP Encryption Is Not Effective Protection WEP, which stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy is easily cracked within minutes and only provides users with a false sense of security. Even a mediocre hacker can defeat WEP-based security in a matter of minutes, making it virtually useless as a protection mechanism. Many people set their wireless routers up years ago and have never bothered to change their wireless encryption from WEP to the newer and stronger WPA2 security....