The Acoustic Chamber lets you experience absolute silence

The Acoustic Chamber is just one section of a large array of environmental testing labs; where products are tested for regulatory compliance – including EMC, safety, NEBS (Network Equipment Building System), earthquake, and altitude. The Acoustic Lab was constructed for the purpose of testing the noise levels of routers and switches in various sizes. 

 

The wide space of the lab is capped off with extremely high ceilings—and every section of the room is covered with white sound-absorbing padding; acoustic foam. The visuals of the opaque-white, expansive room immediately transports visitors into a sci-fi fantasy. 

 

My mission—along with discovering the purpose and history of one of the most exclusive testing labs—was to see how long I could withstand in a room of absolute silence.  

6 easy ways to speed up Windows 10 Make your PC faster without installing an SSD.

Windows 10 may be practically brand-new, but it still suffers from some typical Windows performance issues -- especially if you're running it on an older machine. Here are some quick, easy ways to improve your PC's performance on the new operating system without swapping out your hardware. (Most of these tricks will also work on older versions of Windows.)

Go opaque



Windows 10's new Start menu is sexy and see-through, but that transparency will cost you some (slight) resources. To reclaim those resources, you can disable transparency in the Start menu, taskbar, and action center: Open the Settings menu and go to Personalization > Colors and toggle off Make Start, taskbar, and action center transparent.

No special effects

Making the Start menu, taskbar, and action center transparent is one thing, but Windows 10 still has a lot of other snazzy, built-in special effects. To really go bare-bones on the special effects, right-click the Start button and click System.



Click Advanced system settings to open the System Properties menu, and then, under Performance, click Settings...



This will open the Performance Options menu. In the Visual Effects tab, either choose Adjust for best performance to turn off all unnecessary animations and special effects, or choose Custom: and deselect the visual effects you think can live without. When you're finished, click OK to apply your changes.

Disable Startup programs



If your PC is taking a long time to boot up -- and you've enabled Fast Startup and everything -- you may have too many programs starting up when you turn your computer on. To fix this, right-click on the Start button and click Task Manager. Click the Startup tab (click More details if you don't see the Startup tab) and peruse the list of programs that start up with your computer. If you see a program that doesn't need to be there, right-click it and click Disable. You can also arrange the list of programs by Startup impact, if you'd like to see the programs that are taking up the most resources (and time).

Find (and fix) the problem



Windows 10 has a built-in performance troubleshooter that can help you find and fix any problems that might be affecting your PC's speed. To open the troubleshooter, right-click on the Start button and click Control Panel. Go to Troubleshooting and under System and Security, click Run maintenance tasks.

Reduce the Boot Menu Time-out

When your computer starts up, the boot menu is displayed for a certain amount of time before the operating system loads. This gives you time to do things like start Windows in Safe Mode. You can shave a few seconds off your startup time by changing the boot menu time-out, which is set to 30 seconds by default.



To do this, right-click on the Start button and click Control Panel. Go to System > Advanced system settings, and, under Startup and Recovery, click Settings.


Next to Time to display list of operating systems:, change the value from 30 seconds to 10 seconds and click OK.

Restart your PC

Is speeding up your computer as simple as...restarting it? Maybe. Restarting your PC clears out its memory and stops any processes that might be taking up resources. Also, shutting down your computer is not the same as restarting it -- shutdown is affected by Windows 10's Fast Startup, which saves a snapshot of your PC and its processes in a hiberfile for faster boot-up. Restart is not affected by Fast Startup, so if you have Fast Startup enabled, restarting your PC is the only way to fully clear the memory and shutdown processes.

Galaxy Note 7 recall: Everything you need to know about returning and exchanging your phone If you have a Samsung Galaxy Note 7, you need to read this now.

What is the Galaxy Note 7 recall about?

Samsung voluntarily recalled its Galaxy Note 7 phone when some buyers noticed a major battery flaw that caused the phone to explode and sometimes burst into flames, damaging property and leaking dangerous chemicals.

Shortly after Samsung's recall, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) made the recall official, in part due to an appeal by Consumer Reports. That means the phones can't be sold in the US (other countries may follow suit). Certain airlines are blocking use of the phone onboard planes as well. Although Samsung says a small number of devices experienced a problem -- initially 35 of an estimated 2.5 million made -- the nightmare keeps worsening with new reports of explosions. When pressed how many total cases have been reported, Samsung told CNET, "We have no additional information to share about this at this time."

Is it dangerous to keep using my phone? Is it possible that my Note 7 will spontaneously combust?

Yes. Instances of fire and bodily harm are still coming to light. If you own a Note 7, you should power it down immediately and seek to exchange or replace the phone (see below).

Really, though, it feels fine.

You really need to return the phone. Turn it off. Now.

What should I do if my phone catches fire?

If you can, douse the flames with a fire extinguisher or baking soda. Water will help, too (if the phone isn't plugged in). If you don't have those items, try to (safely) move it to a non-flammable surface and let it burn out.

How to pick the perfect smart scale Interested in buying a smart scale? This guide will outline what to look for and provide recommendations on top scales

I've been asked many times about the benefits of owning a connected smart scale. The answer is quite simple -- convenience. Instead of recording your weight manually, smart scales do the job for you, syncing with various health apps so you can track your weight over time. Lots of companies make them, but how do you choose? And when does convenience become hassle?

Over the past few weeks I've been testing smart scales from Fitbit, Withings, Garmin, Under Armour and *Pivotal Living, a startup that focuses on affordable health and fitness devices.

Many of these connected smart scales go beyond weight and can measure metrics like body fat, bone mass and muscle mass. This is all done through bioelectrical impedance, a process that involves sending a low, safe electrical current through your body. The technology has been around for a few years. It's not the gold standard, but it generally works for measuring body measurements over time.

The drawback to using a non-smart scale is that you have to remember each measurement or write it down. This isn't the case with a connected scale or "smart" scale. These devices include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to automatically send data to the cloud or directly to your phone. Your information can be viewed on your computer or smartphone at any time. But, there's a catch: the information generally gets funneled through specific apps.

With so many smart scales out there, it can be difficult to choose which one is right for you. That's where this guide comes in. It's an outline of what to look for and recommendations of top scales I've personally tested.



Scales tested

Fitbit Aria
Withings Smart Body Analyzer
Garmin Index Smart Scale
Under Armour Smart Scale
Pivotal Living Smart Scale

5 things to consider before buying a Raspberry Pi The Raspberry Pi is an extremely affordable computer, but there are some things you should know before you jump into the world of project boards.

Raspberry Pi computers are incredibly fun to tinker with and make it both affordable and possible to have a computer dedicated to one or two very specific tasks around your house.

The applications for Raspberry Pi are virtually limitless, especially with the growing interest in smart homes. But there are some things you should know before you dive into the world of Raspberry Pi.

The $35 computer myth

The Raspberry Pi is marketed as the $35 (£24 or AU$49) computer. At its core, that's exactly what it is, a functioning computer for $35. However, that price only includes the motherboard plus your most basic input and output connections (HDMI, USB, 3.5mm, power source, etc.).

The base price doesn't even include a power source. The most recent Raspberry Pi, the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, requires at least 2.5A to run smoothly. Previous models required 1.8A and below, meaning they could sufficiently be powered with some phone or most tablet chargers. But most mobile device chargers max out at 2.4A, so you'll need to fork out at least $10 more for the Raspberry Pi charger. No big deal, right? $45 is still a pretty cheap computer.


If you don't have a spare microSD card lying around, you'll also need one of those. A 32GB microSD card is a solid size for the Raspberry Pi, since anything over 32GB might give you some trouble with formatting to FAT32. You can find a suitable 32GB microSD card for between $10 (£7, AU$14) and $15 (£10, AU$21) online.

At this point, you're already sitting at $55 (£38, AU$76), minimum. If you don't have a spare monitor, keyboard and mouse, you may need to pick up some extras for your Pi. Depending on what project you plan to use your Pi for, you could end up spending upwards of $100 (£68, AU$139) or $150 (£103, AU$208) for other connections, sensor kits or attachments.

That may seem excessive, and even if you only spend in the ballpark of $55, it's still dirt cheap. But beware the upcharges and endless accessories that come along with the Raspberry Pi.

It's a time investment

Setting up a new Raspberry Pi only takes a matter of minutes, especially if you purchased an SD card with NOOBS preinstalled. But if you're new to the world of Raspberry Pi, it can (and will) become a serious time suck. It's very easy to sink endless hours into a project only to hit a wall that leaves you either hopelessly trying the same thing over and over or wiping the slate clean, starting fresh and flushing 6 hours of work down the drain.

Personally, I find nights spending countless hours tinkering with my Raspberry Pi enjoyable, even if I get nowhere. I'll spend 4 hours setting up the Raspberry Pi and getting it just right, only to flash a brand new OS the next day.

Your use may be different, but don't expect the experience to be plug-and-go. After just a few hours with your Raspberry Pi, you're likely to be 20 pages deep into a support thread on a forum of people who ran into the very same road block you did. Their input may or may not be helpful.

It's still not going to replace your desktop



The new Raspberry Pi 3 is the fastest and most powerful device the Raspberry Pi Foundation has released to date. It comes with a 1.2GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 and 1GB LPDDR2 RAM. It's no slouch, especially compared to earlier Pi models, but it's also not nearly as powerful as your modern, high-end smartphone.

It's capable of playing 1080p video at 60Hz, making a great choice for a DIY media center. However, it's not going to suffice as a desktop replacement for most people. It's still painfully slow at certain tasks, such as loading web pages with the included browser in Raspbian or opening a simple application like Libre Office.

Anyone in their right mind wouldn't want to use a Raspberry Pi as a desktop replacement anyway -- it would be like stepping back into the early 2000s. But for the considerably low price, its performance is impressive and it's easily one of the best project boards on the market.

There are alternatives

Raspberry Pi may be the name you hear touted when talking about project boards, but there are many alternatives these days.

The PINE A64 was a successfully funded Kickstarter project that touts a 1.2GHz 64bit quad-core ARM A53 and 512MB DDR3 RAM for just $15 (£10, AU$21) or an upgraded model with 2GB DDR3 RAM for $29 (£20, AU$40).

The ODROID-C2 is only $5 more (£3 or AU$7) with a 2GHz quad-core ARM A53, 2GB DDR3 RAM and a Gigabit ethernet port. Or just a step back is the ODROID-C1+ for $32 (£22 or AU$44) with 1.5GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A5, 1GB DDR3 RAM and a Gigabit ethernet port.


And that's just the tip of the iceberg. There are numerous alternatives, such as the Arduino Uno, BeagleBone Black, JaguarBoard, Banana Pi and, if you want something small with a bit more oomph, the ODROID-XU4.

Things are only getting better

The Raspberry Pi Foundation launched its first board in 2012. In just four years, the hardware has significantly improved, the price point has remained the same and the community has grown into a thriving and resourceful group of people who are doing amazing things with very limited hardware.

Now with a handful of options on the market, things are only going to get better. The hardware will continue to jump by leaps and bounds, software options are growing in numbers and the possibilities are growing.

iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and Apple Watch Series 2: Everything you need to know from Wednesday's announcements Dual cameras, weather resistance and no headphone jack. The rumors were true.

What really mattered at Apple's iPhone 7 event (Mario, of course)

Though widely anticipated as a rather boring update to the iPhone, Apple's September 2016 announcement event actually revealed some nice, if not unexpected, products. It started with James Corden driving Tim Cook to the event as part of Carpool Karaoke. Turns out some episodes of the show will premiere on Apple Music next year. (Corden hosts "The Late Late Show" on CBS

Apple's iPhone 7 is a familiar phone for unfamiliar challenges
Apple's AirPods may look weird, but they'll change the headphone market
Full coverage of Apple's event
The new version of its mobile operating systems announced at WWDC in June will be gradually rolling out to devices. Its phone and tablet OS, iOS 10, will be available starting September 13, as will the new Apple watch operating system, WatchOS 3. Here's what we knew about both new Apple OSes before Tim Cook even took the stage on Tuesday.

As usual, we were treated to all the big numbers: 17 million paid Apple Music subscribers, 140 billion apps downloaded from the App Store and so on.


Nope, there’s no headphone jack in the iPhone 7. That’s what you’re wondering, right? It doesn’t have one.



If you’re still reading, some interesting other features showed up at the Apple event. The day was dedicated to upgraded versions of the iPhone and Apple Watch, both of which feature new colors, are safer around water, and will have a surprise from Nintendo onboard. The iPhone 7 lost a headphone jack but gained new wireless “AirPod” earbuds and a second camera. The Apple Watch Series 2 is now more effective than ever at guilting you into better lifestyle choices. Everything is more powerful. And if you were looking for new MacBooks, iPads, Apple TVs, or VR headsets — we can dream, right? — then you’ll have to wait until next time.

Apple’s first news of the event actually came from its Twitter feed, which announced the new iPhone 7 before it ever appeared on stage. On stage, Apple made much of the new design, with Jony Ive stressing that the device has been painstakingly perfected to be as clean and beautiful as possible, and on multiple occasions the new phone was called the best iPhone ever made. Obviously, we've heard this before. But that didn’t mean the phone's official unveiling wasn’t welcome.

Both the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 and 5.5-inch 7 Plus come in the usual array of colors, with the added additions of the super glossy Jet Black and the slightly more ordinary Black. They have a 25 percent brighter display, with a wider color gamut for better color management and reproduction. This time around, the antennas are built right into the chassis, getting rid of those ugly lines from the previous two versions of the phone. Internally, the new phones get stereo speakers and a brand new A10 Fusion chip. And, possibly most importantly, the devices are water- and dust-resistant. But we get it: you want to drill into the big changes. Take a look below.

Goodbye headset jack
This one change will represent a major test of the trust consumers have in the iPhone. Apple announced that, in removing the 3.5mm jack, the included headphones will work over Apple’s Lightning standard. That means you won’t be able to connect your favorite headphones to the next iPhone without an adapter (which will be included in the box, of course). Phil Schiller argued that Lightning is already an excellent audio standard, and that the team behind it is showing "courage" by making the shift. It’ll be a little while before we knew for sure if this was a good idea.

Hello wireless headphones
To make the transition away from analog audio easier (if more expensive), Apple developed its own standard to allow wireless headphones to connect to the new iPhones seamlessly. Using its own W1 chip, Apple designed AirPods — or EarPods without wires — that connect to the iPhone without needing to pair like you would with Bluetooth. Beats has also developed two new headphones running on the W1 chip. The AirPods will set users back $159, and they'll have to wait until late October to buy them. The new Beats headphones will also be out this fall, and range from $149 to $299.


A non-clicky Home button
One of the iPhone’s most constant, iconic features is gone: the clicky physical button at the bottom of the phone. In the iPhone 7, the Home button is still there, but it’s no longer mechanical. Instead, like Apple’s new MacBook trackpads, the iPhone will provide touch feedback with the Taptic Engine. It’s supposed to deliver similarly satisfying feedback, with custom notification buzzes for things like messages and calls. Will it actually be as satisfying? We’ve had good results on the Mac, but it’s hard to say for sure.


A new Mario for iOS
Pokémon Go isn't going to be Nintendo's only big mobile game this year. Super Mario Bros. creator Shigeru Miyamoto took the stage today to announce Super Mario Run — a new installment in Nintendo’s long-running series. It looks a lot like the 2D platformer we’re all familiar with, but it draws some mechanics from mobile endless runner games, and Miyamoto noted that you can play it one-handed on the subway. There’s also a multiplayer mode of sorts, where players compete to collect coins on a map. The game is coming out by the holidays, and at least for now, it’s only on iOS.


A double camera with some new tricks

The bigger version of the iPhone 7 comes with two rear-facing cameras, but it’s not going to let you capture your favorite moments in 3D. Instead, each camera has a different focal length, allowing for users to pick between shooting photos with a wide-angle or a telephoto lens. The iPhone 7 Plus will also be able to do some software tricks using those two different focal lengths. One is called "software zoom," where you’ll be able to "zoom" in the camera app between (and beyond) the two different focal lengths. The other is called "depth," and it uses the differences in the lenses to enhance the blur of the background behind your subject — similar to what phones like the recently released Honor 8 are capable of.

Now, that’s just the iPhone 7 Plus. The smaller, cheaper iPhone 7 only has the wide-angle camera, but it is at least getting some upgrades from the iPhone 6S shooter. There’s a new 12-megapixel sensor, a new flash, an f1.8 lens. It also comes with optical image stabilization, and Apple says that its new image processor will use machine learning to enable better autofocusing, exposure, and color-correction. Apple made a lot of bold claims about the new cameras on the iPhone 7S, and we can’t wait to put it all to the test.

The second generation of Apple Watch

After releasing its first smartwatch last year, Apple is back with what it calls the Apple Watch Series 2. It has all the requisite specs bumps: it has the brightest screen Apple’s ever shipped — supposedly twice as bright as the last Watch — and its new S2 chip has a dual-core processor that’s supposed to be 50 percent faster than its predecessor. On the outside, you’ve got the same square shape and side buttons, but it now comes in white ceramic along with aluminum and stainless steel. It also includes some snappy-looking new bands, including a custom design from Hermès, and there’s a Nike watch model that’s aimed specifically at guilting runners into regular exercise.

The Series 2 watches will start at $369, and just like Apple has done for iPhones and iPads, it’s keeping the original Watch around as a cheaper alternative. The Series One line, as it’s being called now, will be upgraded with the same S2 chip and sold for $269. Preorders will start September 9th, with the watches coming in late October. And watchOS 3, which was announced earlier this year, will be coming to current Watch owners on September 13th.


Serious waterproofing and GPS
The first Apple Watch was splash proof, but the new Series 2 Watch is water resistant up to 50m. That means it won’t just help with the occasional spill — in fact, Apple spent time on stage encouraging users to wear the Watch while they swim, and the company will ship swim-specific workout modes on Series 2. This change involved sealing off every possible point of entry except the watch’s speaker, which is supposedly designed in a way that will push water out.
But the new Watch isn’t just about swimmers. The new Apple Watch also has built-in GPS, which makes it much more runner- and hiker-friendly — it means the watch can still find your location if you're in a cellular dead zone. It still doesn’t have a standalone data connection, but the new Apple Watch sounds like it will be a more independent device than the first one ever was.


Pokémon Go for Apple Watch
Did you think Super Mario Run was the end of today’s Nintendo news? Nope — the company is also announcing an Apple Watch version of mobile game and social phenomenon Pokémon Go. Granted, there’s already a Pokémon Go wearable that will let you catch pokémon and visit pokéstops. And the Watch OS app is more about spotting pokémon than catching them; you’re clearly still supposed to be pulling out your phone from time to time.
But the app gives wearers visual feedback that Nintendo’s simple watchband can’t. And it makes Pokémon Go’s egg-hatching feature, which encourages players to go out for walks, more convenient and accurate. Hopefully, there’ll be no more strolling around awkwardly with your phone in hand — at least when the app launches later this year.



iOS 10 is coming out next week

iOS 10 is officially coming out on September 13th, bringing the next major iOS update to users after spending the summer in beta. This release represents one of the biggest iOS has ever seen. It means particularly big things for Siri, which has gotten smart enough to handle image searches and handle transcribing voicemails. But iOS 10 shows Apple becoming much more open, with Siri and iMessage now opening up to developers. Users will also see more widgets and better notifications, and Apple has extended Continuity to include Universal Clipboard, which lets you copy text and images on your phone and paste them on your Mac.


macOS Sierra comes out September 20th

While it didn’t make an appearance at today’s keynote, macOS’s next update, Sierra, will officially launch on September 20th. With that release, the old OS X nomenclature will finally be put to rest. Of course, that’s not the biggest change to come. With Sierra, Siri will come to the Mac, letting you access things like files and email with voice commands. Even more important: the combination of a more mature iCloud and improved Continuity means storing files and moving work back and forth between your Mac and iPhone could be easier and better than ever — in theory, at least.

AT&T powers a bike as smart as your phone

 

LeEco's Android-juiced Super Bike packs a fingerprint scanner, GPS system and -- get this -- side lasers.

No matter how smart your bicycle is, it's probably not savvy enough to overcome the perils cyclists face on the road.

Bike riders have it rough. When they're riding, cyclists are watching out for dangers on all sides, darting past vehicles many times their size and dodging surprise door openings. When they're not riding, bicycles risk being stolen -- more than 1.5 million get snatched in the US every year, the FBI notes.

Chinese company LeEco wants to take on the cyclists' troubles with its Super Bike. This bike comes with a GPS system, media center, fingerprint scanner, smart locks and intercom system. Like a car, it also has turn signals, head and tail lights, and a horn. And get this: It packs side lasers to mark a personal bike lane for riders.

LeEco's two-wheeler is one smart bike, infused with Google's Android software, making it a K.I.T.T. you can pedal. It's just the latest thing -- along with refrigerators, dog collars, toasters and more -- that's connected to the internet and able to talk to other things. While the bike was previously shown off, AT&T said Tuesday that it will hook up the Super Bike to its cellular network.

"We already connected millions of things -- from cars, homes and wearables to farms, factories and cities. The Super Bike shows once again how connectivity can change how we work and play," Chris Penrose, AT&T's senior vice president of Internet of Things Solutions said in a statement.

The Super Bike won't solve all of your problems. Road hazards will always be out there, and bad guys too. The bicycle's rear wheel can lock itself, but thieves can still outsmart the device the old-fashioned way, by simply carrying it off. With a device attached as powerful and valuable as the phone in your pocket, the smart bicycle could even become a bigger target.

Luckily, if it is stolen, LeEco's bicycle comes with a location tracker to find where it went off to.

Neither LeEco or AT&T provided a price for the Super Bike or the data plan that comes with it.

It's also unclear how effective those laser beams will be in deterring erratic drivers who aren't paying attention.

Still, with an estimated 494,000 visits to US emergency rooms in 2013 from cycling accidents, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends providing more lights to prevent crashes. LeEco's bicycle has plenty of them.

LeEco sees its smart bicycle as a "unique, seamless experience," given all the features packed into a single machine, according to its chief revenue officer, Danny Bowman.

You've probably never heard of LeEco, which started out as the "Netflix of China" as the country's largest video streaming website. It has branched out to cars and televisions, buying Vizio for $2 billion in July.

The bicycle will be on display at the CTIA Super Mobility trade show in Las Vegas from September 7 to September 9, where LeEco will reveal more details about its cost, size and availability.
 

Five ways to delete yourself from the internet

Finally ready to get off the grid? It's not quite as simple as it should be, but here are a few easy-to-follow steps that will at the very least point you in the right direction.

If you're reading this, it's highly likely that your personal information is available to the public. And while you can never remove yourself completely from the internet, there are ways to minimize your online footprint. Here are five ways to do so.

Be warned however; removing your information from the internet as I've laid it out below, may adversely affect your ability to communicate with potential employers.
1. Delete or deactivate your shopping, social network, and Web service accounts

Think about which social networks you have profiles on. Aside from the big ones, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram, do you still have public accounts on sites like Tumblr, Google+ or even MySpace? Which shopping sites have you registered on? Common ones might include information stored on Amazon, Gap.com, Macys.com and others.

To get rid of these accounts, go to your account settings and just look for an option to either deactivate, remove or close your account. Depending on the account, you may find it under Security or Privacy, or something similar.

If you're having trouble with a particular account, try searching online for "How to delete," followed by the name of the account you wish to delete. You should be able to find some instruction on how to delete that particular account.

If for some reason you can't delete an account, change the info in the account to something other than your actual info. Something fake or completely random.

2. Remove yourself from data collection sites

There are companies out there that collect your information. They're called data brokers and they have names like Spokeo, Crunchbase, PeopleFinder, as well as plenty of others. They collect data from everything you do online and then sell that data to interested parties, mostly in order more specifically advertise to you and sell you more stuff.

Now you could search for yourself on these sites and then deal with each site individually to get your name removed. Problem is, the procedure for opting out from each site is different and sometimes involves sending faxes and filling out actual physical paperwork. Physical. Paperwork. What year is this, again?

Anyway, an easier way to do it is to use a service like DeleteMe at Abine.com. For about $130 for a one-year membership, the service will jump through all those monotonous hoops for you. It'll even check back every few months to make sure your name hasn't been re-added to these sites.
3. Remove your info directly from websites

First, check with your phone company or cell provider to make sure you aren't listed online and have them remove your name if you are.

If you want to remove an old forum post or an old embarrassing blog you wrote back in the day, you'll have to contact the webmaster of those sites individually. You can either look at the About us or Contacts section of the site to find the right person to contact or go to www.whois.com and search for the domain name you wish to contact. There you should find information on who exactly to contact.

Unfortunately, private website operators are under no obligation to remove your posts. So, when contacting these sites be polite and clearly state why you want the post removed. Hopefully they'll actually follow through and remove them.

If they don't, tip number four is a less effective, but still viable, option.
4. Delete search engine results that return information about you

Search engine results includes sites like Bing, Yahoo and Google. In fact Google has a URL removal tool that can help you delete specific URLs.
screen-shot-2016-06-28-at-11-34-49-am.png

Google's URL removal tool is handy for erasing evidence of past mistakes from the internet.
Screenshot by Eric Franklin/CNET

For example, if someone has posted sensitive information such as a Social Security number or a bank account number and the webmaster of the site where it was posted won't remove it, you can at least contact the search engine companies to have it removed from search results, making it harder to find.
5. And finally, the last step you'll want to take is to remove your email accounts

Depending on the type of email account you have, the amount of steps this will take will vary.

You'll have to sign into your account and then find the option to delete or close the account. Some accounts will stay open for a certain amount of time, so if you want to reactivate them you can.

An email address is necessary to complete the previous steps, so make sure this one is your last.
One last thing...

Remember to be patient when going through this process. Don't expect it to be completed in one day. And you may also have to accept that there some things you won't be able permanently delete from the internet.

Five ways to delete yourself from the internet

Finally ready to get off the grid? It's not quite as simple as it should be, but here are a few easy-to-follow steps that will at the very least point you in the right direction.

If you're reading this, it's highly likely that your personal information is available to the public. And while you can never remove yourself completely from the internet, there are ways to minimize your online footprint. Here are five ways to do so.

Be warned however; removing your information from the internet as I've laid it out below, may adversely affect your ability to communicate with potential employers.
1. Delete or deactivate your shopping, social network, and Web service accounts

Think about which social networks you have profiles on. Aside from the big ones, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram, do you still have public accounts on sites like Tumblr, Google+ or even MySpace? Which shopping sites have you registered on? Common ones might include information stored on Amazon, Gap.com, Macys.com and others.

To get rid of these accounts, go to your account settings and just look for an option to either deactivate, remove or close your account. Depending on the account, you may find it under Security or Privacy, or something similar.

If you're having trouble with a particular account, try searching online for "How to delete," followed by the name of the account you wish to delete. You should be able to find some instruction on how to delete that particular account.

If for some reason you can't delete an account, change the info in the account to something other than your actual info. Something fake or completely random.

2. Remove yourself from data collection sites

There are companies out there that collect your information. They're called data brokers and they have names like Spokeo, Crunchbase, PeopleFinder, as well as plenty of others. They collect data from everything you do online and then sell that data to interested parties, mostly in order more specifically advertise to you and sell you more stuff.

Now you could search for yourself on these sites and then deal with each site individually to get your name removed. Problem is, the procedure for opting out from each site is different and sometimes involves sending faxes and filling out actual physical paperwork. Physical. Paperwork. What year is this, again?

Anyway, an easier way to do it is to use a service like DeleteMe at Abine.com. For about $130 for a one-year membership, the service will jump through all those monotonous hoops for you. It'll even check back every few months to make sure your name hasn't been re-added to these sites.
3. Remove your info directly from websites

First, check with your phone company or cell provider to make sure you aren't listed online and have them remove your name if you are.

If you want to remove an old forum post or an old embarrassing blog you wrote back in the day, you'll have to contact the webmaster of those sites individually. You can either look at the About us or Contacts section of the site to find the right person to contact or go to www.whois.com and search for the domain name you wish to contact. There you should find information on who exactly to contact.

Unfortunately, private website operators are under no obligation to remove your posts. So, when contacting these sites be polite and clearly state why you want the post removed. Hopefully they'll actually follow through and remove them.

If they don't, tip number four is a less effective, but still viable, option.
4. Delete search engine results that return information about you

Search engine results includes sites like Bing, Yahoo and Google. In fact Google has a URL removal tool that can help you delete specific URLs.
screen-shot-2016-06-28-at-11-34-49-am.png

Google's URL removal tool is handy for erasing evidence of past mistakes from the internet.
Screenshot by Eric Franklin/CNET

For example, if someone has posted sensitive information such as a Social Security number or a bank account number and the webmaster of the site where it was posted won't remove it, you can at least contact the search engine companies to have it removed from search results, making it harder to find.
5. And finally, the last step you'll want to take is to remove your email accounts

Depending on the type of email account you have, the amount of steps this will take will vary.

You'll have to sign into your account and then find the option to delete or close the account. Some accounts will stay open for a certain amount of time, so if you want to reactivate them you can.

An email address is necessary to complete the previous steps, so make sure this one is your last.
One last thing...

Remember to be patient when going through this process. Don't expect it to be completed in one day. And you may also have to accept that there some things you won't be able permanently delete from the internet.

How to get the fastest speed from public Wi-Fi when you travel There's nothing you can do to make a public Wi-Fi network faster, but here's a way you can make sure to get the best speed out of it.

When you're traveling, chances are you will use public Wi-Fi at the airport. Here's a quick tip to get the fastest speed: Don't move around.

That's right, this might sound irrelevant but it's not. The vast majority of airports have a large Wi-Fi network, called a mesh network, composed of many access ​points. Think of them as little Wi-Fi satellites that carry a portion of the airport's router's signal. When you first connect to Wi-Fi at the airport, you'll likely connect to the access point that gives out the best signal at your current location. If you walk into a new area, farther away from the access point you're connected to, your device won't necessarily switch you to a new, closer access point. This translates to slow speed and even disconnection.

So, when you have to move from one place to another, even just a few feet apart, if you feel your internet experience has clearly slowed down, it's best to re-establish your connection. It's easy: Just turn on airplane mode on your device for a few seconds, then turn it off. Your device will now look for the best access point based on your current location. And then, again, stop moving around when you don't need to.

Pokemon Go will now let you walk the world with Pikachu The new Buddy feature lets you take any of your favorite Pokemon out of their Pokeball and walk around in-game with your trainer avatar.

Do you want that Ash Ketchum lifestyle of always having Pikachu by your side? Pokemon Go is letting you have just that.

On Friday, game developer Niantic said a new Buddy feature will let players select their favorite Pokemon to walk alongside them within the game.

"Unique in-game rewards and experiences" will unlock once your creature is walking with you, Niantic said, including earning Candy for going on the journey together (as opposed to trading Pokemon away forever to get Candy).



Players will also be able to change their Buddy Pokemon at any time, so you can give both your Snorlax and Psyduck a walk whenever you want.

This official announcement comes two days after players reportedly mined the game's code, uncovering details about the feature. It is also the latest feature to be added since the "Appraise" option was added in August, allowing a player's team leader to offer advice about the creatures they have caught.

Bosch wants to put water in your engine

Water injection can provide a number of benefits, even if most folks think water and engines aren't supposed to mix.

When you think of water in your engine, you probably imagine floods and other scenarios where an engine gives up the ghost after trying to compress something that is incompressible. That can definitely happen, but if it's wielded in the right way, water injection can actually confer a number of benefits.

Bosch's WaterBoost, which is quite the silly name, utilizes injectors to deliver controlled bursts of distilled-water mist into the engine's intake, which leads to the combustion chamber. When it enters the engine in this manner (instead of being sucked up by your intake, gallons at a time), the water actually helps to cool the combustion chamber.



It reduces the chance of knock and allows engines to operate at higher compression ratios, increasing efficiency. Bosch claims water injection can reduce fuel consumption by up to 13 percent under acceleration or during highway driving. The water is held in a tank inside the vehicle, it only needs to be refilled once every 2,000 miles or so, and it's simple to do -- just pour distilled water in the special tank, and you're done.

BMW uses WaterBoost in its M4 GTS sports car, and water injection (usually involving a bit of methanol, as well) has proven its worth in the aftermarket, as buyers seek to get more and more out of their vehicles without blowing the engine sky-high. Water injection has also been used successfully in military aviation engines

Bosch is bringing this to the mainstream because increased fuel economy standards have caused many automakers to start downsizing engines, and temperature can be an issue at that point. It's not like your engine is going to rust or you're going to hydro-lock the vehicle. Water can be both good and horrifically bad for an engine; it just depends how it gets in there.

Samsung delays Galaxy Note 7 shipments for quality control.Could it be due to exploding batteries?

The recently released phone needs more testing, the company said.



That's not what people usually mean when they say their phones are blowin' up.

Samsung said Wednesday it will delay shipments of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 to do additional quality tests, according to Reuters. The announcement comes after reports on South Korean social media that the phones' batteries were exploding en route to customers.

Photos republished by Apple Insider show fried phones, one with a blast marks running from left to right across the screen.

Samsung didn't immediately provide a comment, but told Reuters, "Shipments of the Galaxy Note 7 are being delayed due to additional tests being conducted for product quality."

The company hasn't confirmed the reports of exploding phone batteries and gave no details in its statement to Reuters.

Amazon to experiment with a 30-hour workweek Select Amazon employees will participate in a pilot program that puts them in the office just 30 hours per week.

Amazon plans to test out a 30-hour workweek, starting with a few dozen employees.

The program will allow participants to work from Monday through Thursday from roughly 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., reported The Washington Post, which is owned by Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos. The team members will be salaried, but will bring home just 75 percent of what full-time employees earn. They will, however, have the option to scale up to 40 hours a week.

A The New York Times article published last year portrayed Amazon as a competitive and overwhelming workplace with testimony from over 100 current and former Amazon employees. Amazon senior vice president Jay Carney denied the allegations.

Amazon didn't immediately respond to a request for a comment.

Expected iPhone 7 unveiling is just days away

Design
In recent years, Apple has alternated annually between major design changes and minor upgrades. That's expected to change in 2016. The overall consensus among analysts and rumor-mongers, supported by many unofficial photos and videos leaked during the past few months, is that for the second year in a row we're likely to see mostly modest, superficial changes -- call it the "iPhone 6SS," if you will.

Perhaps the most dramatic change still in play would be the addition of a rumored third "Pro" model. According to multiple sources, Apple's portfolio, which was already extended to include the new SE model in March 2016, may soon include an iPhone 7, an iPhone 7 Plus -- and an iPhone 7 Pro. Leaked photos that first surfaced in July 2016 on Nowhereelse.fr appear to show three such different models. But recent rumors have suggested that Apple will probably stick with only two models.

The other biggie involves the 3.5mm headphone jack -- which has been MIA in many recently leaked photos. The thought is that Apple, always pushing the envelope on killing off legacy ports and media, is removing the one that even predates the 1979 Sony Walkman.

If true -- and we're betting it is -- it leaves a few options on the table. Apple could bundle new Lightning-tipped EarPod headphones (or sell them separately). Or it could throw in a Lightning-to-minijack adapter, as Motorola is doing with its Moto Z (which has only a USB-C port). And, of course, since Apple owns Beats, you can expect some fancy new wireless PowerBeats to arrive alongside iPhone 7, too. (Like most other phones, you could use the iPhone 7 with any existing Bluetooth headphones or speakers, too.)




Ditching the headphone jack would also leave room for a second speaker grille, which has appeared on other leaked photos. That would allow the iPhone 7 to be the first model with true stereo sound.

A redesigned home button was one of the most active topics in the early iPhone 7 prediction conversation. As late as June, analysts at Cowen and Company were predicting that the iPhone 7 would have a "Force Touch" home button. According to Business Insider's coverage of the report, "Instead of a physical mechanism, Apple will use its 'Force Touch' technology and a motor inside the iPhone to provide the sensation that the button is being physically depressed." And writing for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman reports that Apple has replaced the iPhone's traditional home button with "a pressure-sensitive" variant that features "haptic feedback," similar to the "Force Click" touch pad included on the latest model MacBooks.


Martin Hajek
Otherwise, the exterior changes are expected to be rather minimal -- similar to identical screen sizes and bezels, though it's rumored that it will come in the same Space Black color available on the Apple Watch. Even if Apple expands the line as shown in the photo above, they all look pretty much like clones of the iPhone 6/6S and 6 Plus/6S Plus.

Camera
Many sources are expecting a significant step up in quality with the iPhone 7's camera. In mid-March 2016, Taiwanese site Apple.club.tw posted what it says are images of a dual-camera module that it says will be included on the iPhone 7 Plus. New evidence appears to suggest that both new iPhone 7 models will have optical image stabilization capabilities. But a steady stream of sources have reported that the dual camera would likely be included on the 5.5-inch-screen iPhone 7 Plus and/or Pro and probably not the standard 4.7-inch-screen iPhone 7.



Battery
Steve Hemmerstoffer (aka @OnLeaks) of Nowhereelse.fr, who has a good track record of leaking things that turn out to be true, tweeted that a reliable source revealed that the iPhone 7 will receive a healthy battery upgrade.

He reports that Apple will upgrade the iPhone 7 battery to 1,960mAh (from the iPhone 6S's would go from 1,715mAh), which translates into a 14 percent bump in capacity. It's unclear how much of a battery life bump that will ultimately give you, but that translates to 90 minutes more video playback time -- 12.5 hours versus 11 hours -- if you do the math using Apple's iPhone 6S stats.

Everything else
Another possible advantage of the new iPhone may be full waterproofing. (That may be a side benefit of losing the headphone jack and getting a flush home button.) While many Samsung Galaxy phones have been dunk-proof for years, it would certainly be a welcome feature on the iPhone.

On the component front, an analyst firm has predicted that the iPhone 7 will support a whopping 256GB of storage space, matching the iPad Pro and offering lots more room for apps and videos. The firm, Trendforce, also predicts that the phone will get a memory boost to 3GB in the 5.5-inch model.

In June, BGR reported that Chinese shopping site Weibo had posted prices for three iPhone 7 models, with storage tiers starting at 32GB; the current entry-level iPhone models start at a paltry 16GB. That rumor was effectively confirmed by The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern on July 5.

iOS 10
Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in June left behind a decent trail of clues, with plenty of new features coming down the pike. Siri, photos, maps, and especially the Messages app have all been upgraded. iOS 10 is available only to developers at the moment; the official release is expected to come this fall, likely coinciding with the release of the forthcoming iPhone 7. (Click here for the complete scoop on iOS 10.)

Now that Sony is bringing its PlayStation games to Windows, should you even bother getting a dedicated game machine?

Now that the PlayStation Now streaming service is coming to Windows, could consoles end up losing out to the cloud?

Can streaming services like PlayStation Now end the console war? Or will the battle between Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's PlayStation consoles continue forevermore?

This isn't some hack. It's not a magic trick.

Sony is actually, really, truly bringing PlayStation 3 games to your Windows PC, console wars be damned.

This fall, you'll be able to play previously exclusive games like Uncharted 3 and Shadow of the Colossus on a Windows laptop. I know, because I did.

The catch: you'll be playing those games over the internet with Sony's streaming game service, PlayStation Now. Think Netflix.

PlayStation Now has already been around for a couple of years on the PS4, PS3, PS Vita handheld, plus a handful of Blu-ray players and smart TVs. For $20 a month or $45 for three (£13 monthly in the UK, but alas, not available in Australia), the service gives players unlimited access to a long list of over 400 PlayStation 3 games. (The service is available only in those countries as well as in Canada and Japan, with Belgium and the Netherlands currently in beta.)



Like Netflix or any other streaming service, the quality can vary wildly depending on your internet connection -- Sony requires a solid 5Mbps connection at all times, and that doesn't change today.


The $24.99 PlayStation USB Wireless Adapter will let you connect a controller wirelessly.
Sean Hollister/CNET
What changes is the size of Sony's audience. With a Windows laptop or tablet, you aren't tethered to a big-screen TV. You could theoretically take these PlayStation games anywhere -- and wherever you go, your saved games stream with you. (Sony says that PS3 players can transfer their saves to PlayStation Now via PS+ Cloud Storage. You can access it by pressing the PS Button and going into the PS Now XMB.)

There are some caveats, though. In addition to the pricey monthly subscription and the stable internet connection, Sony recommends your Windows device have a 3.5GHz (or faster!) processor for best results.

(That's strange, because streaming game services usually don't need a lot of local processing power -- years ago, I streamed Mass Effect 2 to an old netbook with no real trouble -- but Sony offers a seven-day free trial so you can test it out.)

And you'll need a DualShock 4 controller to play on Windows, instead of the older DualShock 3 that worked just fine with PlayStation Now on other platforms.

Still, the newer controller comes with perks: you'll be able to plug it in with any standard Micro-USB phone charger cable, or a new $25 wireless USB dongle that Sony will ship this September. That dongle will work with PS4 Remote Play (the software that lets you stream your own PS4 games to PC) as well.

Eric Lempel, head of Sony's PlayStation Network, wouldn't talk about future plans for PlayStation Now in an interview. He couldn't say whether the service might come to smartphones, for instance, or whether Sony might stream newer PS4 titles or older PS2 titles later down the road.


It's not hard to see a future where you might not need a physical PlayStation at all -- much like how you may not need an Xbox -- but Lempel didn't talk about that.

Today, it's just about bringing this small chunk of PlayStation to a new audience. "The PlayStation launched so many great franchises, and this brings new life to them," said Lempel.

According to Sony, PlayStation Now is coming to Windows PCs in the UK "soon," and will expand to the US and Canada shortly after. No availability was discussed for Australia or other parts of the world.

Robo-baby contraception attempt leads to increase in teen pregnancy rates

The use of infant simulators to educate teens about contraception is having the opposite effect, with pregnancy rates up among girls who attend the programs.




Around the world, technology is being deployed as a tool to try to teach girls to use contraception. More specifically, a program using an "infant simulator" (or robotic baby) is used to teach teen girls about the harsh realities of motherhood. Over the last decade, the use of this program has exploded -- it's now in 89 countries. But a new study published today in The Lancet reveals that the robo-babies aren't working as hoped.

A study that followed 2,834 girls from 57 randomly selected schools in the state of Western Australia found that girls who participated in this program had significantly higher rates of pregnancy.

"Our study shows that the pregnancy prevention programme delivered in Western Australia, which involves an infant simulator, does not reduce the risk of pregnancy in teenage girls. In fact, the risk of pregnancy is actually increased compared to girls who didn't take part in the intervention," said lead author Sally Brinkman of the University of Western Australia Telethon Kids Institute in a statement.

The girls were divided into two groups. The first group of 1,267 of girls aged 13-15 participated in the program. The second group of 1,567 girls acted as a control. All girls gave permission to be followed up via their medical records to the age of 20.


The girls participating in the program were each given a RealityWorks infant simulator to take home and care for from Friday afternoon to Monday, when they would return the baby. It was programmed to act like a real six week-old infant, requiring feeding and changing, and crying when these needs weren't met.


The results of the study revealed that 168 (11 percent) of the girls in the control group got pregnant in their teen years, compared to 210 (17 percent) of the girls who attended the program. The control group saw 101 terminations and 67 births; the study group saw 113 terminations and 97 births. Overall, the study group was more likely to get pregnant and then carry that pregnancy to term than the control group of girls.

The reasons for this are not yet clear. Possible factors include positive attention the girls received while looking after the robo-babies. Often the families of the girls would turn looking after the simulator into a family project, and some girls became quite attached to the simulators, to the point where, Brinkman said, the program managers considered bringing in counsellor to help separate the girl from the robot.

"The cure for teenage pregnancy is more difficult than a magic doll," wrote Julie A Quinlivan of the University of Notre Dame's Institute of Health Research in a comment for The Lancet. "We have to address both mothers and fathers. Programmes need to start in infancy. Investment in vulnerable children is needed to entice these adolescents from the path of premature parenthood into brighter futures. We cannot afford the quick fix, especially when it doesn't work."

WATCH Aziz Ansari Explains Why the Khan Family Is Drake to Donald Trump's Meek Mill

Aziz Ansari compares the feud between Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and a Gold Star military family to the beef between rappers Meek Mill and Drake.

Snapchat CEO Files Billion Dollar Lawsuit Against Instagram for Stealing App Idea

“ZUCKERBERG IS A REAL F*CK BOY FOR STEALING MY WHOLE SET UP, HE’S PISSED BECAUSE I WOULDN’T SELL, BUT I GOT NEWS FOR HIM I’M SUING B*TCH”

Said Evan Spiegel founder of snapchat on why he is suing Mark Zuckerberg for $10 Billion.

“I BET EVAN WISHES HE PLAYED BALL INSTEAD OF TRYING TO BE A BADASS AND SOLD IT TO ME WHEN I MADE THE OFFER BUT NOW HE’S MY B*TCH, BUT HEY IT’S ONLY BUSINESS” — ZUCKERBERG

Instagram launched “Stories,” a Snapchatty feature for imperfect sharing that is almost identical to snapchat says Spiegel.People only post the highlights of their life on Instagram, so today the app adds its own version of “Stories” to poach goofy, off-the-cuff, everyday content from Snapchat. It works exactly like Snapchat Stories, allowing you to post 24-hour ephemeral photo and video slideshows that disappear. But because Instagram Stories appear at the top of the old feed, your followers will inevitably see them without you needing to build a new audience in a different app.

“WELL IT’S TIME TO DELETE MY SNAPCHAT AND MAKE SPACE ON MY PHONE, SINCE INSTAGRAM IS BASICALLY THE SAME THING NOW” — FORMER SNAPCHAT USER

“HE’S TRYING TO STOP ME FROM GOING PUBLIC BUT IT WON’T WORK AND I’M GONNA OWN HIS ASS IF HE THINKS HE CAN GET AWAY WITH THIS OUT RIGHT STEALING MY SH*T HE’S IN FOR A RUDE AWAKENING — SNAPCHAT CEO