Category Archives: Mind Uploading

Since exploding over the internet with his isolation cooking videos in early 2020, Sydney comedian, musician, YouTuber and now award-winning, bestselling author Nats What I Reckon has been riding the wave of success with style.

The swearing tattooed rocker has been creating content for almost a decade, uploading tongue-in-cheek criticisms of cultural norms and societal politics to a fanbase in the hundreds of thousands. Now with an audience of over 2.5 million, Nat has released his second book, Death to Jar Sauce: Rad Recipes for Champions.This collection of 25 awesome recipes is complete with his trademark humour and crazy drawings by his pals Bunkwaa, Glenno, Warrick McMiles and Onnie OLeary.

Nats previous book, Un-cook Yourself: A Ratbags Rules for Life, regaled life stories and taught lessons that he learned the hard way with a handful of illustrated recipes in between. The book was shortlisted for General Non-fiction Book of the Year at the Australian Book Industry Awards and won the Booktopia Favourite Australian Book Award for 2020 the proceeds of which he donated to Beyond Blue. This time around, its all about the cooking but with the same no-nonsense attitude we all know and love.

We had a chat with Nat about the book and the many other things he has going on to get a better understanding of how the legend manages it all.

First of all, congratulations on the new book! How does it feel to have a personally tailored and awesomely illustrated cookbook of your own?

It feels pretty bloody bananas. I still dont quite understand how Im the bloke who ended up with his own cookbook, but I count myself a very lucky fella indeed.

Especially lucky to have such amazingly skilled mates to turn my jokes into incredible illustrated episodes.

Death to Jar Sauce is a collection of 25 kick-ass recipes for champions everywhere to add to their arsenal. Do you have a dead-set go-to recipe, or is it like choosing a favourite child?

I dont have any kids so thankfully I dont have to make that decision. The book is kinda all my favourites at once I suppose. Its a stack of no-bullshit recipes, that, depending on what youre feeling like, Im hoping will include your new bloody favourite too.

Youve featured the ungodly Eggmaster in your latest video and even in your live shows with hilarious results. Have there been any recipes youve come across recently that either blew your mind or made you think what the f*ck is that sh*t?!?

Absolutely every recipe in the Eggmaster book scared the absolute fucking shit out of me.

One of my favourite things at the moment is something that Jules made me, which was a killer chicken dish with poached pear.

You have also recently released your own trivia boardgame, Yeah Nah. What gave you the idea to create it?

It was a bit of a team effort that one. I am shit at trivia and thought wouldnt it be funny to make a trivia game for people that are shit at it.

In addition to a loved YouTube personality and amazing cook, youve also become an advocate for mental health. What are some things that have helped you battle on through the past 18 months?

Talking to Jules, my therapist, fucken heaps of exercise and rock n roll.

Music is obviously a big part of your life and you mentioned in your last book that you are trying to be open to more styles. What have you been jamming lately and is there anything youre looking forward to?

Dont mind a bit of cheeky Michael Bolton in the shower in the morning, peppered with some death metal to get a huge vibe going really sets a wild pace for the day.

Of an arvo, I crank a lot of old jazz records and 90s hip hop.

I have a pretty panicked music taste.

On that note, youve also been busy making a new album on top of everything else. How do you find the time for all of this and still churn out incredible stuff?

Yeah, the infamous unfinished DBX album. Thats been on the back burner for a little while we get all this other stuff sorted. Its flat chat over here, haha.

Your brutal yet hilarious social commentary on the absurdities of everyday life is one of the biggest appeals of your work. Do you think one of the reasons so many people follow you is because you say what everyone else is thinking?

I hope so. I think a bit of cutting the shit and having a good bloody laugh at the same time seems to be translating well. Stoked on the gang thats hanging with us on the channel love yas.

From cooking in your kitchen to raiding Area 51, whats next on the agenda for Nat and Co.?

Some things I cant mention yet, but what I can say is heaps more swearing, touring and making stacks of awesome videos.

With the country slowly emerging from lockdown and borders reopening, its a great time to pick up a copy of Nats latest book and try your hand at some of these incredible (and easy!) recipes for anyone you want to impress. Whether its Honey B*stard Chicken, Get F*cked Roast Potatoes or Frownie Reversal Orange Chocolate Brownies, Death to Jar Sauce is complete with killer recipes, handy culinary tips and a few solid laughs to see you through the tough times. Good onya, Champ!

Death to Jar Sauce: Rad Recipes for Champions is available now from Penguin Australia. Snag yours from Booktopia HERE.

More to Explore on the AU:

See the article here:

Interview: Nat's What I Reckon talks rock 'n' roll, trivia and his latest book Death to Jar Sauce - the AU review

But its not the only sport or hobby to benefit from such a surge. In October 2020, The Queens Gambit became a hit on Netflix, based on the 1983 novel about a chess prodigy, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, who becomes the worlds greatest gamer.

This has resulted in a massive increase in interest in chess. Retailers reported that chess board sales increased by up to 1,000%, according to the New York Times, while new listings on chess.com, one of the worlds largest online chess sites, were seven times larger than usual.

But it is not only the general public who entered 2021 with increased interest in playing chess, which, along with golf and padel, has become one of the new major hobbies for F1 drivers this year. year.

Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr are the two drivers who have taken failures most seriously this year. As well as having excelled on the track as teammates, helping Ferrari take third place in the Constructors Championship ahead of McLaren, Sainz and Leclerc also became good friends off the track. This gives a touch of youth and freshness to the atmosphere of Maranello.

Chess is an interest that has always been with Leclerc, but as he and Sainz were looking for something to do during the quiet periods at the start of the season, it quickly became competitive.

In fact, Ive always been in it, I always liked chess when I was a kid, Leclerc told TBEN.

I think it was all the media days at the start of the year, we didnt know what to do and I was playing chess, and he saw me and said OK, Im uploading this.

We got pretty crazy with it in the first part of the year. We played against each other and we never stopped.

It was a new obsession for Sainz in particular. He loves his failures with Charles, said Lando Norris, former McLaren team-mate. I think maybe I beat him in the first game, then I stopped! I might be wrong, he would probably tell you that Im lying

He and Charles played for hours and hours. I didnt know he was playing before.

From thefts between races to sessions between cars, and even during the long rain delay at the Belgian Grand Prix, Leclerc and Sainz were glued to their phones playing each other using an app.

And not surprisingly, it has become incredibly competitive. In a video for TBEN earlier this year, Leclerc and Sainz questioned who is better at chess and wins games the most.

Today we played on the plane, and it was 2-2, Sainz told Leclerc. And you didnt want to play the last one. So if anything I had the advantage.

No, no, replied Leclerc. Do you remember the Spa? Sainz claimed he lost because he was so focused on the race.

Hes very good at nighttime chess so every time we come back from races after 9pm hes very good, said Leclerc. But from morning till night, I am much better.

But Leclerc and Sainz are not the only drivers to have tried a lot of chess this year. Between sessions and various engagements at Haas on race weekends, Mick Schumacher is another driver who will typically be found playing the game with whatever spare time is available.

A chess board is now part of Schumachers essential kit to take with him to races, giving him the opportunity to sit and play to relax. Schumacher usually plays with Kai Schnapka, a physio who worked with Michael Schumacher towards the end of his F1 career before joining Mick in the junior categories. Schumacher also played a few games with Timo Glock, but has yet to play with the Ferrari drivers.

Yet it was only by accident that Schumacher really became interested in chess. We have a chess board at home, weve always played it here and there, but never properly, Schumacher told TBEN / Motorsport.com.

We were very passionate about backgammon, Kai and I. And then we quit playing we forgot our backgammon board, and the only thing we had was chess, so we started playing chess!

Then for a while we were mixing chess and backgammon, and now were basically just playing chess. Its fun, I beat him the whole time!

Mick Schumacher, Haas F1 team

Photo from: Haas F1 Team

Chess is something Schumacher has improved at over the years. At the start of the year I was losing most of them, he said. Then for some reason I understood the game a little better and started winning most of it.

This kind of mental improvement is exactly the benefit that Schumacher sees in the test. In May, he discussed the benefit of playing such games in an interview with GP Racing.

I feel like these games kind of brings the focus back, because you always have to be turned on with your mind, Schumacher said. In a weekend, I always want to be mentally prepared for any challenge that comes along.

Next years 23-race season is expected to give drivers more time on the road than ever before, which means more flights and more time at racetracks to fill in between their racing duties and for the club. F1 unofficial but growing failures, maybe more members.

Link:

We got pretty crazy about it: inside the Formula 1 drivers chess club - The bharat express news

The Mission

Uploading something to VRChat is extremely easy and it has made a new dawn for community content as the Unity Engine has a flexible editor that can help you create amazing worlds where to hang out with your friends.Creating content is good, but better is to do it in a way that everyone can enjoy it!

Resources

Before doing anything, let's keep some important stuff in mind:

Of course, first of all you need to have the SDK imported into the project in order to upload your content. Never mix the SDK2 or SDK3 in the same project, do clean uninstalls of the sdk prior to uploading or migrating the projects as it can corrupt your data. Currently (22/June/20) the most stable SDK is the VRCSDK2 as it contains the legacy inputs and triggers for worlds.As the official page says: "Choose wisely."

https://docs.vrchat.com/docs/choosing-your-sdk

To start the port to the Quest version, first of all duplicate the project as a way of back up and also to make the convenient tweaks you think you have to do to match the hardware limitations of the platform. The Unity profiles is a great help to know what is loading and how much is taking to render each frame of the camera.

As a creator, you should keep an eye on the performance of your world:

For the Quest version (which is the version that is going to run on an Android platform with graphical limitations), keep in mind the following hard specifications:

Prepare Unity to be able to upload scenes to VRChat

This window will ask you for an account in order to start working, log in and you will be granted access to upload your content.

The tab "Builder" is going to be your bestie during the upload and preparing the scene, this tab will tell you whatever is wrong with your world and will give you instructions to avoid errors.

The first thing it will tell you is that you dont have a scene descriptor. Scene descriptors are gameObjects placed once in the scene as "directors" and managers of the scene content and the rest of gameObjects. They state general behaviours and manage the spawns of players.Create an Empty gameObject on your scene, call it Descriptor and add the Component VRC_Scene_Descriptor to it. Then create another Empty Object, call it Spawn and make it son of the Descriptor. You can place more spawn points and add them to the array list. The gameObjects work as a transform point to place the player when entering the scene.

A common developer screenshot of the builder

You can customize the orientation of the player spawn, by default is the Z-Axis (blue) in charge of the forward direction.

Once you have this basic setup, you now can press the big button and upload your content for the first time!

Once the SDK packages all your data and makes it ready to upload, prior to start it will ask you to put the name and other descriptions to your world (Unity will go play mode). Do a thumbnail, state tags or mark specific content and check the box prior to upload.

If you want your World to be public you must have at least "Known User" to be able to send it to Community Labs and let VRChat review if your World is good to be Public.

My PC build is live, what now?

Next steps are important, first of all duplicate your project, this way one project (development ended) will be the PC version and the other will be the Quest/Android version. I usually make use of the PC version as the master and the Quest version a semi-automatic downgrade.

Once duplicated, open the project with Unity. We are going to need the project in Android, once its open, go to File > Build Settings. You will see a list of diferent platforms to build your project with. Click on the Android platform and next click "Switch Platform".

With the change of environment, you will no longer be able to do local tests so keep in mind to do "core" stuff on the pc build prior to duplicate the project. Use this project as a downgrade on texture sizing, high level compression and low-near-zero dynamic or real-time events being displayed on screen. With the same scene, the descriptor will be mantaining its World ID and with the upload the World will be updated with Quest support.During the upload keep all info input the same as the PC version: name, tag, description...

That's it, we hope to see your amazing world over VRChat!

Videogame and animation enthusiast. I aspire to become a great videogame artist and developer, providing enriching experiences for those who share my passion.

I purr when you're not looking. I'm passionate about environments and all the techie stuff to make them look rad. Learning and improving everyday to be a better hooman.

Original post:

Uploading and making worlds for VRChat - Polygonal Mind

Following the outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020, besides paramedical staff of Jammu and Kashmir, the teachers have been on the frontlines not only to contain the spread of virus but also to create awareness among the public. Teachers were at the forefront to dispel the fear of psychosis caused by the raging pandemic.

Rising Kashmirs correspondentRiyaz Bhatspoke to several teachers of the School Education Department performing Covid-19 duties who shared their experiences.

Nazir Gillo

Gillo, a teacher of School Education department, says that as soon as his deployment order was issued by District Magistrate Srinagar in April 2021, he asked his school management to arrange his classes which he was teaching so that students wont suffer, and joined the new duty very next day.

I was deployed at a vaccination centre in Srinagar. Working with a vaccination team was an entirely different experience. There was a looming fear of getting infected and at the same time, we had to make people aware to follow Covid-19 appropriate behavior during the vaccination process. he said.

Despite getting to work in a hectic and risky atmosphere, we were happy that the government chose us to serve and contribute to society by fighting this deadly virus, he said.

Recalling the initial days of his duty this year, Gillo said that when the vaccination process was rolled out in Jammu and Kashmir, teachers had to work for multiple weeks on stretch without taking any day off including Sundays.

During the initial days in April and May, we would take a little breakfast with no lunch or tea in the day due to heavy rush of people in the vaccination centers. We didnt mind that as the situation demanded so, he said.

Gillo claims that in Srinagar and elsewhere, most of the people that were part of vaccination drives or conducted Covid-19 tests were teachers who worked with full dedication.

Rafiq Ahmad Rather

The COVID-19 pandemic had gripped the valley in pungent psychosis as not many wanted to venture into streets fearing contamination, hospitalization and possibly death. I was no different, scared to bones, for myself and for my kith and kin.

Then my conscience jilted me and prodded me to do something to mitigate the pandemic. The teacher within me, someone who has been teaching the idealism of textbooks perpetually, volunteered for COVID-19 duties to be a frontline worker, he claimed.

Rather was deputed at one of the Covid-19 centres at North Kashmirs Baramulla district. In the COVID-19 centre, l saw young and old, men and women, rich and poor gasping for oxygen, moaning in pain.

I saw death upfront with my naked eyes amidst all this doom and gloom, the silver lining was that my volunteering set-up a chain reaction and more of my colleagues from teaching fraternity volunteered and thereby were deputed as frontline workers, he recalled.

Rather says that all of the medical, administrative and education staff stood tall in the troubled times notwithstanding the fact that they were bereft of any safety gear, specialized training. Many of the teachers actually contracted the dreadful disease and suffered the worst of symptoms like others.

He further says that The shift of teaching in a classroom to accompanying health workers in health centers was a totally new learning experience for me.

Ajaz Behry

One of the deputed educators for COVID-19 emergencies, Ajaz Behry said that being an educator by profession, he had never imagined of serving the society as a medical front line worker.

My journey to work as a COVID-19 warrior began in March 2020, when I was informed that I have been deputed for COVID mitigation team at TRC Srinagar, he said.

Serving people, by helping in the Covid-19 mitigation was not an easy challenge for teachers and Behry was no exception. But with time, he learnt to deal with it and gave his best to serve his own people. We did different sort of works including contact tracing, providing quarantine facilities to travelers, line listing of RAT tests, uploading the patient records and many more to keep a check on the COVID spread.

Apart from dispatching his duties as a frontline COVID warrior, Behry says that he along with other teachers managed to carry with their online teaching process. We were delivering online classes in our PPE kits, our students were surprised to see us like that, said Behry.

Not boasting about the job they did, Behri is of the opinion that he took this as his other assignment and gave his best that he could have deliver. Behry claims that he is still helping with administration in COVID related things. Apart from that Behry is happy that he motivated the people to go for vaccination in times when people were hesitant to get vaccinated.

Behry is of the opinion that teaching community has a good understanding of situations like these, they understand the tough times and is the first one to respond positively.

Faisal Rashid

Rashid is another teacher who was deputed as a front line worker to assist the medics. Rashid says that he was part of the team who were asking people to get vaccinated and busting the rumors about vaccines those times.

It gives me happiness when I think of my work that I did in those times, Rashid said.

Rashid believes that it is not the individuals who win, rather it is the team that does. This is what motivated me to perform my duties to the best of my abilities.

Link:

The multitasking COVID-19 warriors of School Education Department - Rising Kashmir

How six game streamers plan what they do and execute it

Picture this: Youre in a tense multiplayer match and the scores are even. You roam around the post-apocalyptic landscape, nimble on your feet, gun at the ready, waiting for that one chance to help your team pull ahead.

A brawl ensues in a long corridor, with a plasma rifle flashing and explosions going off in the distance. You are immersed, you are in the moment. And then, you get that one kill that drags your team through.

There is an inherent drama ever present in gaming. It is a subtle three-act structure that sets up a conflict, gives you the tools to engage in that conflict, and then brings the curtain down with an epic resolution. Like a good film, your journey is full of twists and turns, which is what makes a game enjoyable and fun.

Sometimes, you want to vicariously live through those moments again, not by playing, but by watching someone else play. While this might seem like an oversimplification of what a game-stream is, it is the inherent conflict and resolution of a good game that keeps viewers entertained, and India is lapping it up.

What is game-streaming?

Simply put, a game streamer broadcasts himself/herself playing a game for a live audience. That might sound like the easiest job in the world, but theres much more to it. Streamers have to know how to hold the audiences attention over a long period. Like commentating on a live cricket match, a multi-hour stream demands discipline and pacing from the streamer. The difference is that the streamer is playing the game at all times, unlike the cricket commentator, who also gets relieved by other commentators frequently.

Globally, the outbreak of the Covid-19 saw a massive spike in gaming as people were forced to remain indoors. Streaming platforms also took off as people cooped up at home sought an escape by watching gamers take on each other.

As a consequence, live streaming of games exploded worldwide, particularly in India. Last year alone, Indians accounted for a sizeable chunk of the audience that tuned in to watch their favourite streamers play across the world.

Streaming is no longer a hobby, or something to do on the side, it has legitimately become a way to earn revenue.

In India, PUBG Mobile and PUBG: Battlegrounds are, unsurprisingly, the hot favourites, with Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption 2, Garena Free Fire, Valorant and Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) following.

Naturally a good game is only a small part of what it takes to keep viewers interested through a long stream. Another thing to consider is the game platform you stream on: do you go with YouTube or Twitch, two established names and the strongest platforms for game streaming globally? Or do you go to the new kid on the block, Facebook Gaming?

YouTube Gaming has become popular among the youth in India. Twitch, on the other hand, remains the weathered old veteran, ramping up to nearly 140 million active users in 2021. Meanwhile Metas Facebook Gaming, which was launched in 2018, has seen its viewership grow 530 percent in India over the last year because of the pandemic, with more than 234 million gaming sessions recorded in the last few months.

Preparing for a streaming session

Whether its on Facebook Gaming, YouTube or Twitch, there is a lot that goes into a game-streaming session. Equipment, the choice of game, even the platform are all important but not as important as the mental preparations for a good stream.

A good stream is like telling a story while hanging out with friends, setting up a great tale that ebbs and flows with the mood of the chat room. It is important to know what your strengths are because your weaknesses wont be easy to hide when the stream goes live.

So, what goes into the making of a game stream? Moneycontrol tried to find out by talking to popular Facebook Gaming streamers Akash Chauhan aka GameGuru, Bodhisatta Banerjee aka Bagha, Aparna Shukla aka ROG Stream, Chamkaur Singh of the father-son team PunjabiGamer63, Husband and wife streaming duo Gagan and Aparna aka Mr&MrsOp, and Kangkana Talukdar aka Mystic Ignite.

To begin with, creators have to prepare mentally, be smart in the way they present themselves and confident in how their content will be received by the audience.

Mystic Ignite aka Kangkana Talukdar

I have to get ready, look presentable and need to be prepared mentally and full of energy because thats how I deliver the best stream to my viewers, says Talukdar.

Banerjee says that preparation is mainly psychological. He remains focused on what the audience finds entertaining and tries not to get side-tracked by the negative comments that will invariably pop-up. There are times when I receive negative comments in streams, which can be demotivating. However, I am here for the long run and no single person or word can stop me. Hence, I do not take these comments personally, says Banerjee.

Some streamers prefer to practice, going over beats they have to hit during the stream, so they can pull them off better on air. I prepare some shoutouts and logos if needed for the stream and dedicate an hour of practice before the stream takes place, says Shukla.

Mr&MrsOp like to plan out special streams beforehand but forego any preparations for a regular stream day, preferring to stay in the moment and interact with viewers. For our regular streams we try and make it as entertaining as possible by just ensuring that we as streamers are on the same page and direction, says Aparna.

Akash Chauhan aka GameGuru

Sometimes this means cutting yourself off from the world before the stream begins, making sure you are in the right frame of mind for a good stream session. I always ensure that my mood is light and I am happy. I try to stay away from negative people and negativity because the most important thing for me is the entertainment of my viewers, remarks Chauhan.

Is it easy to jump into game streaming?

Deciding to host a stream is one thing but going through with it is another thing entirely. You have to weather the early jitters and prepare to be in it for the long run. It was difficult in the initial years but it became quite easy with time, says Shukla.

Aparna Shukla aka ROG Stream

Chauhan says its a tricky question as its a tough job, one that depends entirely on communication skills. He says that streaming is 90 percent interaction while 10 percent is the actual game being played.

If you are good with interacting, you will not face many difficulties in streaming, he adds.

In Banerjees case, game streaming was a way to overcome a tough loss. Venturing into streaming was difficult for me. I started streaming to deal with the loss of my father and my resignation from work, he says. Streaming helped him connect with people and took his mind off the difficulties he was going through. Slowly, it became routine and eventually, his full-time job.

Bodhisatta Banerjee aka Bagha

Streaming sounds easy and fun but its not that easy, says Singh. For one thing, it requires a solid grasp of the technicalities. The cost of the equipment required to stream can also be exorbitant. Ultimately, it comes down to commitment and resolve to see the initial phase through.

There were a few downs in the beginning, but as we progressed, the journey became better as it gave us a few ups, which motivated us to keep going further, says Gagan.

Tips for beginners

Like any profession, experience matters. And like any profession, you wont have any when you first start streaming. There will be rough waters to navigate but with some tips, you will at least go in the right direction.

Try to gather knowledge as much as you can, and dont hesitate to be yourself and express yourself and interact with viewers, says Talukdar.

Chamkaur Singh and Karanveer Singh aka PunjabiGamer63

I feel one should start with a minimum budget and maximum effort. For instance, making videos and uploading them from your phone is a budget-friendly option to reach out to the public and check out their response, adds Singh.

One way to mitigate the cost of equipment in the short term is to buy things on priority, slowly investing more over time. The hard part about streaming is having the equipment as it is expensive, says Talukdar. Im still buying things, and of course, you will need good internet and eventually, youll learn things as you keep streaming.

Gagan and Aparna aka MrandMrsOp

The quality of the content should be a priority, says Aparna, and everything else will eventually fall into place. You should be consistent in your performance, and maintain the proper bond between yourself and your viewers, she adds.

Keep an open mind and be ready to learn from the best in the business, picking up on small things as you watch their streams, advises Chauhan. If you like what you see in the streams of these big streamers, then you can try to inculcate them in your stream as well, but do observe if your viewers are liking this or not.

Another important lesson is to maintain a healthy attitude, no matter how dire things seem. How a player speaks and interacts with the audience changes with his/her mood, so its critical to remain on an even keel.

Hope is another important aspect. Have hope, dont give in, find your strengths and focus on the positives. My tip for someone new is to not lose hope if you are not getting many viewers. Keep doing what you do. If people enjoy what you do, you will succeed, remarks Banerjee. Also, do not bow down to haters or their hate comments. Just trust the process, he asserts.

Go here to read the rest:

Game Streaming: All you wanted to know and were afraid to ask - Moneycontrol

By Rilind Elezaj: Rilind is a tech enthusiast covering topics on technology, marketing, workplace and others

There are many benefits associated with using proxy servers while accessing the internet such as data protection and improvement in productivity at the workplace. Keep in mind, there are many kinds of proxy servers out there such as shared, residential, and HTTP proxy servers. The question is how do you know which proxy is best suitable for your business? Lets find out.

What are proxies?

If you access a site while being on the web, your computer is doing it by sending what is known as a web request. Most of these web requests contain all kinds of information related to your computer such as your current location and IP address etc. It allows the site you are accessing to identify the person that is requesting before sending the data. This leaves you vulnerable to cybercriminals especially when the sites you are accessing are unsafe. Proxy servers are useful here as they can reroute the web requests via their servers.

Residential proxies vs datacenter proxies

One of the common kinds of proxies used for businesses is data center proxies. This kind of proxy server uses IP addresses generated by data centers. They are supplied by the company providing the proxy and you get relative anonymity on the internet. They are popular because they are more affordable than their counterparts residential proxies. But if your business needs to do web scraping, it will be a good idea to use residential proxies. The data center proxies can get blocked easily. The residential proxy on the other hand uses an actual physical device or location for its IP address. This decreases the likelihood of it getting blocked. It also means you can perform web scraping without raising suspicion from websites as your proxy servers can aid you in imitating normal browsing behavior.

Shared proxies vs dedicated proxies

Another extremely popular alternative is dedicated proxy, especially for businesses as the service is used exclusively by the organization. It provides more anonymity and privacy than the shared proxies. Although dedicated proxies are more expensive than shared proxies, businesses can make sure that their internet connection is not abused. Only the people using their network can access this kind of service. But if a business is on a tight budget, these shared proxies are a good alternative because they tend to be cheaper than the dedicated proxies. As you are sharing the connection with other users and splitting the costs. Another disadvantage of using shared proxies is that when multiple users are utilizing the service, it tends to slow down the internet connection. There are also greater chances of somebody abusing the proxy servers getting themselves banned as a result.

HTTP proxies

Another kind of proxy suitable for businesses is the HTTP proxy server because it has several uses for your business operations. The HTTP proxy will use HTTP protocol and it is responsible for how sites send and display their media files across the internet. These proxies are useful for businesses that operate mainly on the internet due to the advantages such as maintaining anonymity across the connection, speeding uploading time, and bypassing filters for accessing restricted content. These servers will not just protect the data while browsing, they can also help in improving workplace productivity. They provide limited access to distracting sites. It is also capable of balancing the office internet traffic. It can stop server crashes that hamper business operations.

Conclusion

It is the responsibility of organizations to keep the organization data and the client data safe and secure especially from people practicing malicious intentions. They have to take measures to prevent their sensitive data from falling into the hands of cybercriminals. Proxies help in securing the company connection as they are engaging in their business activities on the web. Businesses use proxy servers not just for their outgoing connections but also for the incoming ones. For instance, the use of HTTP proxies is useful for boosting productivity in offices. This is done by placing limitations on employees accessing the websites during their working hours.

More:

The most suitable proxy types for businesses: What's yours? - AMEinfo

Hear from CIOs, CTOs, and other C-level and senior execs on data and AI strategies at the Future of Work Summit this January 12, 2022. Learn more

Web apps are a growing attack vector in the enterprise. According torecent research from Verizon, theyre involved in 43% of all data breaches today. Thats partially because it isnt always easy to tell that a website is malicious. One report found that one in four malicious URLs are hosted on an otherwise safe, non-malicious site.

While the challenge is vast, experts say that companies can protect themselves by investing in a multi-layered approach to defending their internal network. Two of the most effective techniques are filtering and isolation. Filtering protects devices connected to the internet by scanning web code and blocking potentially dangerous URLs, while isolation sandboxes users activities in a secure environment detached from the local network.

Startups like Guardio are developing technologies that aim to leverage both filtering and isolation for enhanced protection. In particular, Guardio claims that its first product, a Google Chrome extension, can detect and prevent online threats by using a combination of machine learning and proprietary algorithms.

Founded in 2018 by Israel Defense Force veterans Amos Peled, Daniel Sirota, and Michael Vainshtein, Guardios software offers anti-phishing protection, email tracking, notification blocking, malicious extension removal, and more. Tel Aviv, Israel-based Guardio is the second company founded by Peled, Sirota, and Vainshtein. Their previous venture, Arpeely, specialized in real-time media auctions via machine and deep learning technologies.

Nowadays, every IT manager has cybersecurity on their mind. From their standpoint, employees are roaming the internet, uploading, and consuming a mix of personal and work data into various services from the same browsing environment. While many enterprise solutions are available covering different problem subsets, for micro-business, they are too pricey or too complex, making Guardio a friendly, easily deployable, go-to solution, Guardio CEO Peled told VentureBeat via email. Due to lockdowns, many activities that might have been otherwise done in person moved to the cloud and browser environment. Increased use of online services from everyday browsing to sensitive activities like shopping, banking, and work from home heightened the need for cyber protection products like Guardio. This translated into growth in users across all sectors and plans.

Above: Guardios cybersecurity extension for Google Chrome.

Image Credit: Guardio

Guardios software offers anti-phishing protection from emails and webpages that attempt to steal personal or payment information. It can keep track of email accounts to deliver alerts on breaches and mute unwanted notifications, as well as block malicious extensions that control browser settings and install malware, spyware, or adware.

Guardios infrastructure enables real-time updates to block signatures, rules, and heuristics, the company explains on its website. [Our cloud-based system] routinely maps, stores, and indexes the entirety of the Chrome extension ecosystem Metadata and fingerprints, such as WHOIS, DNS records, and hosting providers, are constantly gathered and factored into our decision-making engine. Some [additional] methods used by Guardio include client-side deep learning models in order to detect visual elements in fraudulent websites [Our] algorithms and heuristics continuously sift through large amounts of data looking for anomalies and signs of malicious activity.

According to Terranovas 2020 Gone Phishing Tournament report, almost 20% of all employees are likely to click on phishing links sent via email and, of those, 67.5% go on to enter their credentials on a phishing website. Malicious extension campaigns are often successful, too, with an Avast study revealing that more than three million internet users have installed 15 Chrome and 13 Microsoft Edge extensions containing malicious code.

For these reasons, Peled believes that Guardio is well-positioned for growth despite the fact that rival browser extensions exist, including Guardbly. (Its also worth noting that Google has changed how extensions access data and removed malicious browser add-ons from the Chrome Web Store, its official extensions marketplace, in response to emerging threats.) Nearly one million people use Guardios software each day, the company claims, including S&P Top 10 companies and tens of thousands of other paying customers. And Guardio projects that its annual revenue will reach the tens of millions of dollars in 2022.

Its true that theres no shortage of potential customers. According to one estimate, companies spend almost $6 million per year on business email compromise recovery alone, which includes about $1.17 million in illicit payments made to attackers annually.

The teams combined expertise in cyber, product and go-to-market positions them perfectly to disrupt and innovate in this market. Their traction while bootstrapped is a testament to that, Tiger Global partner John Curtius, a Guardio investor, said in a press release.

With roughly 30 employees at its Tel Aviv-based R&D center, Guardio says that itll use the proceeds from its most funding round which was announced today to expand its workforce and refine its technologies. Guardio completed a $47 million funding round led by Tiger Global, with participation from Vintage Investment Partners, Cerca Partners, Union Tech Ventures, and Samsung Next.

Originally posted here:

Guardio nabs $47M for an AI-powered browser extension that protects from cyberthreats - VentureBeat

The immensely popular video game Minecraft has received more than one trillion views on YouTube since 2010, which is certainly an impressive achievement.

The games developers from Mojang have teamed up with the Google-owned video-hosting platform to share the news of this mind-boggling milestone.

An official webpage on YouTubes website notes: If each of those one trillion views were just one second long, that would add up to over 30,000 years.

If each view were a Minecraft block 12 inches square, you could build a stack that reached from the Earth to the sun and back with about seven million miles to spare. Thats how big one trillion views is. So how do you get there?

The answer to that question might seem obvious to people in the know. The LEGO-like sandbox nature of Minecraft means that players can build pretty much anything they want in the game, after all, and the survival mode (where your builds are attacked by hostile forces) also provides thrilling moments aplenty.

This leads to a mammoth number of Minecraft-made videos being shared on YouTube around the clock. Fans use Minecraft to express themselves, and that often results in videos being shared of cool Minecraft builds or moments. (You might even get videos of one fan reacting to another fans custom build, so its easy to see how this might snowball!)

It also helps that there are plenty of ways to play Minecraft for free or very cheaply, meaning fans can start creating their own Minecraft video content without breaking the bank. As hobbies go, its one of the more affordable ones in this digital age.

Plus, there are plenty of websites and content creators around the world that create Minecraft how-to guides on YouTube, to help fans get to grips with the game. Or some streamers will literally just sit there and broadcast their everyday Minecraft sessions on YouTube, which passionate fans will happily sit and watch.

An official graphic showing the growth of Minecrafts biggest trends on YouTube. Mojang/Google

Of course, Minecraft is also immensely popular in and of itself, with the developers from Mojang regularly attracting millions of views for their official video content, such as the annual Minecraft Live events these live streams on YouTube provide a chance, once a year, for the developers to share their exciting new projects with the fans.

In the announcement on YouTubes website, which is packed full of interesting stats and well worth a read, this landmark is summed up simply like so:

Reaching one trillion views of Minecraft videos could not have happened without the collective efforts of tens of thousands of creators playing, experimenting, streaming and uploading Minecraft videos.

Heres to the next trillion, then! Certainly, Minecrafts popularity shows no signs of slowing down.

Read more on Minecraft: How to tame a fox in Minecraft | How to make a saddle in Minecraft | Is Minecraft free? | Minecraft cheat codes and commands | Best Minecraft servers | Minecraft Realms | Best Minecraft seeds | Best Minecraft Mods | Best Minecraft shaders | Best Minecraft skins | Best Minecraft texture packs | Minecraft Enchantments | Minecraft house Blueprints | Minecraft How to Train Your Dragon DLC | How to build a house in Minecraft | How to install Minecraft Forge | How to make a Minecraft map | Minecraft Villager jobs explained | Minecraft Eye of Ender |Minecraft versions explained | Minecraft skin editor | Minecraft toys | Minecraft Dungeons update | Minecraft Xbox Game Pass for PC release date | Minecraft Wild Update

This yearsRadio Times Christmas double issue is on sale now, featuring two weeks of TV, film and radio listings, reviews, features and interviews with the stars. And if youre looking for something to watch, see our TV Guide.

Follow Radio Times Gaming on Twitter or visit our Gaming and Technology hubs for all the latest insights. Swing by our video game release schedule for all upcoming games on consoles.

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Minecraft hits "mind-boggling milestone" with a trillion views on YouTube - Radio Times

Whether youre a creator or a simple user on the app enjoying the content, sound effects are integral to most, if not all, TikTok videos. A video paired with the right sound can drastically increase the shareability of a creators posts, and if they go viral, those same posts can inspire creators from all over the TikTok community to use your sound in their own videos.

Thanks to the app, you have several options to choose from when incorporating sounds into your TikTok videos: you can use your own sounds, sounds from other videos, or ones from TikToks music library. You can even record a voiceover if you need to narrate over your post.

However, if youre a beginning TikToker, youll first need to learn how to incorporate sounds into your posts.

According to Business Insider, there are a few tips that you need to remember before creating a sound on TikTok:

Once youve taken those things into consideration and have come up with a game plan, then you can start focusing your attention on how to create sounds on the app.

Whether its a funny voice, a sound effect, or a cover of a popular song, you can use these steps to create your own custom sound in the app.

Voiceovers are good for creators who are uploading DIY tutorials or doing brief narrations in their posts. To create a voiceover, all you have to do is follow these steps:

Some of the best videos usually incorporate sounds from popular songs or unknown music that are edited to fit the premise of the posts. If you prefer using that to create a sound instead of making your own audio, then all you need to do is follow these easy steps:

Once you play around with it for a little while, you can start mixing it up and incorporate everything to really make your video stand out from the rest. Youre sure to come up with some interesting TikTok concepts if you put your mind to it.

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How To Make a Sound on TikTok - We Got This Covered

Getting your LinkedIn profile to stand out among the sea of millions of users is not easy. One way to make a distinct impression is to use video.

In early 2021, LinkedIn rolled out the cover story feature that enables users to embed a 30-second, mini-introduction video into their profiles. Once a cover story is added, an orange ring appears around the users static profile photo. When someone visits the profile, a preview of the video auto-plays silently within the photo frame. Clicking on the profile photo plays the full video with audio.

If youre looking for a way to inject some life into your profile that goes beyond text and images, a cover story video is a great way to go.

Video has become a key channel to connect, engage, learn, and collaborate, especially in the virtual world of work, says Charlotte Davies, a consumer communications and career expert at LinkedIn. Based on the companys recent survey, 80% of hiring managers believe that video has become more important when it comes to interacting with or vetting job candidates.

Featuring a short cover story video on your LinkedIn profile can offer many benefits. First, a video enables you to convey your personality and soft skills in a way you simply cant with written text alone.

Unlike text-based profiles, videos often give me an idea about how enthusiastic a candidate is, how good of a communicator they are, and whether they would be a good cultural fit for the company Im recruiting for, says Anjela Mangrum, president of Mangrum Career Solutions.

Second, a video creates a more human element to your profile. As Davis says, a short video can bring your professional story to life and share your career goals in a more human and engaging way.

Third, a video helps to break the ice with people researching your otherwise silent, static profile. Connections whom youve never met may feel more inclined to continue or initiate a conversation with someone they can see and hear, versus someone theyve only read about on the internet.

Lastly, a profile video helps you stand out from the crowd. With the sea of candidates seeking jobs, founders seeking investment, business owners seeking clients, and entrepreneurs pitching their products, having a video enables you to differentiate your profile from others.

Applicants with self-intro videos are more likely to stand out simply because it shows their willingness to put in more effort than the average candidate, says Jeff Lam, senior recruiting manager at Arc.

A 30-second video provides you with one additional opportunity to further communicate and reinforce your personal brand, supplementing other LinkedIn profile elements like your key accomplishments, experiences, and credentials.

To create an effective video, remember the three Ss of strong personal branding: Be suitable, selective, and specific. Ensure you have a clear target audience in mind. Decide on the key headlines you want to get across. And define exactly how you want to position yourself.

If youre a bit camera shy or unsure what to say, start by considering three questions before you record your video.

Then, explain who you are, answer the question, and communicate the call-to-action. For example, if youre a:

Just as youll want to feature a high-quality photo on your LinkedIn profile, youll want to invest some effort into recording a video you can be proud of, because its quality will have a direct impact on your personal brand.

I wouldnt recommend reading a script, word-for-word, from start to finish, which will likely come across too robotic and staged, defeating the purpose of doing this. However, capture and rehearse key talking points before you record so you can come across as polished.

When recording, instead of filming a story directly from the LinkedIn app, try uploading a prerecorded video. Make sure you use portrait mode, and try to record within a well-lit room that doesnt include any oddly angled lights, which will cast shadows. Further, if youre afraid shaky hands will lead to a poor-quality video, try using a tripod stand for your phone.

Finally, keep it professional. Getting creative and showing your personality is encouraged, but err on the side of professionalism (which is how LinkedIn first started). Ive seen cover story videos where people simply upload a Snapchat montage of their personal activities or even videos of their cat (Im not kidding).

At the end of the day, showing your humanity to a hiring manager will make you much more memorable than a name read on a rsum or email, says James Diel, founder and CEO of Textel.

While having a LinkedIn cover story will not make or break you, it can give you a big leg up over others who dont make the effort to do it. Taking the time to create a short, simple video of yourself is just one more way to separate yourself from the crowd.

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How to use LinkedIn's cover story feature to stand out to recruiters - Fast Company