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Watching Friends Recover from Addiction on Facebook

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Through likes and comments, I’ve watched my hometown of Perry, Ohio, disappear into and come back from heroin addiction.

The U.S. is facing a massive heroin epidemic, and nowhere is it more evident than in Ohio, where fatal drug overdoses surpassed car crashes as the leading cause of accidental death in 2007, and increased by 60 percent from 2011 to 2012. Addicts in rehabilitation say heroin is the easiest drug to find. State legislators have called for Republican Gov. John Kasich to declare the prevalence of heroin a public-health emergency, and in May he agreed to an Obamacare Medicaid expansion largely because the state badly needed the federal help in funding treatment for heroin addiction.

Perry, Ohio, is a microcosm of the epidemic, which is now infiltrating upper-middle-class suburbs. Thirty minutes east of Cleveland, the town of 1,500 has a median annual income $31,000 higher than that of Ohio overall, but it also lacks opportunities for young adults to start their lives. With the exception of the technical jobs offered by the nuclear power plant — a definitive feature of the town — those without a college degree travel to neighboring towns to work in retail or service industries, and those with a degree rarely return. When I graduated high school six years ago, most of the people in my class left Perry for college, but many of those who stayed behind eventually turned to heroin to cope with their anxieties about the future. Addiction to the drug is growing most quickly among people between the ages of 18 and 25, like the friends who fell off my Facebook timeline as their lives became absorbed by their addiction.

Over time, I forgot about many of these people as I made new friends and experienced new things, and as my Facebook feed became populated with photos of frat parties and college football games. While I photo-bragged about crazy beer fests or complained about all-nighters at the library, they posted less and less. As they turned away from friends and family in real life for fear of negative feedback, they turned away from Facebook, too. Richard Foster, the executive vice president of treatment programs for Gateway Rehabilitation Center in Pennsylvania, says active addicts are “not talking to family and friends, and they’re not posting on social media about their struggles.” In active addiction, he says, they are still in denial, usually turning back to their friends, family, and social media only when they are in stages of recovery and proud to share it.

Now, I’m seeing their names pop up for the first time in years, with posts like “48 hours of sobriety and all I’ve gotten is this lousy t-shirt,” and messages of encouragement filling the comments. In contrast to the usual slew of carefully choreographed photos of graduations, vacations, and weddings, the raw honesty of these posts is striking. For heroin addicts, who must cut ties with their communities of users as part of recovery, Facebook is both a support system, connecting them back to relationships they had before their addiction, and a venue that helps others understand the fragility of the recovery process. For some in Perry who struggle with heroin addiction, Facebook is a way to call for help and support. For those of us who have left, their posts are stark reminders of the reality of the problem ravaging our quaint hometown.

It was a post from a high school class clown named Khari on Sept. 17 that alerted me that a friend had passed away from an overdose that day. Comments like “Please get healthy!” and “See? Don’t be messing with that stuff!” came flooding in by the dozens. In high school, through puberty and awkward social changes, Khari was funny, fearless, and blunt. When I called her after seeing her post, she talked about the years since we graduated from high school, the times she has been in and out of jail for heroin-related crimes, and the friends and boyfriends who overdosed and died.

When I knew her at 19 years old, Khari was against heroin; she says she was “one of those ignorant profiling” people who chastised people who did it. But after seeing friends leave town, she started feeling like she was missing out on life and turned to heroin as a way to deal with the pains of the quarter-life crisis.

She says that after the most recent overdose death in Perry, the most difficult part for her was seeing the online activity of old friends struggling to cope with the pain of loss and the confusion that comes with addiction.

“I’ve been dealing with this on and off for six years, so watching [people] I grew up with go through it was really hard for me,” Khari says.

Emma is another Perry kid, one I knew through mutual friends, who turned to heroin after high school. She started smoking weed at age 12; by 15, she and her friends were taking Oxycodone. At 17, her boyfriend taught her how to shoot up heroin, saying that he was protecting her by showing her how to do it safely. When her friends left for college, she moved into her boyfriend’s grandmother’s basement, and she says that’s when things turned for the worse. She felt like she didn’t have anything to look forward to, that she was doing nothing with her life.

“I remember the day all my friends left for college,” she says. “I was stuck in Perry and it just made me want to get high even more.”

For the next six years, Emma was in and out of relatives’ basements, friends’ couches, and rehab centers in California and Florida for months at a time. Once, on a binge while in treatment in California, she crashed the car of her employer into the car of the owner of the rehab center. She was kicked out and moved back to Perry to attempt to start her life over … again. She relapsed in 10 days, spending the next two months getting high and using up the entire $6,000 she had saved.

Now seven months sober at a different rehab center in California, she has been posting her progress on Facebook routinely: “90 days sober!” received over 200 likes and comments.

“There’s people [commenting] that I haven’t seen in years, people that knew me from I was little,” she says. “My mom’s friends are saying, ‘I remember when you were little’ and saying that they are proud of me.” She says seeing people from her childhood showing that they care helps keep her accountable for her sobriety. The feedback confirms that a community cares about her recovery. “It makes me feel really good, you know?”

Foster, the rehab-center executive, says the shield of the screen may make people feel more comfortable admitting they’ve been an addict than they would be in real life. “It’s safer than going in to a room and saying ‘Hi, I’m Rich and I’m an addict,’ ” he says.

But Angela, another classmate who popped back on my timeline last year with an announcement of newfound sobriety, is more skeptical of the role social media can play in recovery. She says that while the encouragement from Facebook can be uplifting, it doesn’t help people understand the intensity of addiction.

“Liking someone’s status about clean time is a good way to remain supportive without too much risk, especially for people you’ve been close to who have been hurt by broken promises and relapse,” she says, but posting about her problems in the throes of addiction would likely scare people away from reaching out. “You can’t tell people, ‘I’m so sick, I’m dying, please give me money so I don’t have to go … rob somebody.’ ”

At 16, Angela was smart, witty, gorgeous, and always one step more mature than everyone else. She was also a little harder than everyone else. She gave me my first shot of moonshine in the stands at a football game before I knew what moonshine was.

By senior year, she managed to get a full academic scholarship to a private college in Ohio … and she was shooting up heroin every other day. At high school graduation, where she was summa cum laude, she missed walking across the stage because she was dopesick — nauseated and vomiting from withdrawal — in the bathroom. She tried to quit heroin before leaving for college, but ended up going to school still addicted and dropping out before the first quarter ended. The night she decided to quit college, she says, someone from Perry paid her a visit and brought heroin.

“I just went to go on a dope run and I never came back,” she says. “It was always people from home.”

Ashamed of disappointing her family, Angela says, she gave up completely on battling her addiction after she dropped out. She became reclusive, lost friends. Her younger sister shunned her completely. In the past six years, she has been to rehab eight times and detox centers 20 times, and continues to struggle with addiction while on house arrest today.

“I turn around and I think, ‘This isn’t what I planned for my life,’ ” she says, adding that she sees posts from old friends about great life improvements, and she feels like she missed out. “My friends have these great jobs, these great lives, [they’re] buying houses and doing big things and I’m just clueless,” she says. When I asked her what she sees on her Facebook timeline from friends who do heroin, she says, “Mostly deaths.” But, she says when she sees posts about sobriety and recovery from other friends, it is motivating to pursue recovery and gives her hope that it’s possible for her.

“You’ve seen that person down at their worst, and then [when] you see them looking happy, it’s like, ‘I can do this too,’ ” she says. “It’s like support groups, kind of, to see that everyone is touched by it.”

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$8.5 billion profit: Demand for iPhone 6 gives Apple record-breaking quarter

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple's biggest cash cow, the iPhone, is gaining weight.

Sales of iPhones, including the new, big-screen iPhone 6 models released last month, helped carry Apple to a record-breaking quarter and offset slowing sales of one of Apple's other major products, the iPad, the company announced Monday. Apple sold 39 million iPhones in the quarter that ended Sept. 27, a significant bump from the 33.8 million it sold in the same period last year.

Apple appears to be gorging on consumer demand for its smartphone. The company's $8.5 billion in net profit for its fiscal fourth quarter was 13.3 percent higher than the same quarter a year ago. Revenue over the quarter was $42.1 billion, up from $37.5 billion in the same period last year.

"Demand for the new iPhones has been staggering," Timothy D. Cook, Apple's chief executive, said in a financial earnings call with investors. He added: "I've never felt so great after a launch before."

But impolite as it may be to point out in the middle of such exuberant returns, those numbers - while enviable for most companies - do pose some risk for Apple, which gets about 70 percent of its profits from the iPhone, said Toni Sacconaghi, a financial analyst for Sanford C. Bernstein research.

As with any company increasingly reliant on a single product, should development of that product falter or if competition from companies like Samsung grows even tougher, Apple would be vulnerable.

"Increasingly Apple is the iPhone story," Sacconaghi said.

Shares of Apple rose about 1.5 percent to $101.25 in after-hours trading Monday.

Phone sales have steadily grown even though overall sales of smartphones are slowing in developed markets like the United States and parts of Europe. But Apple has aggressively fought that trend. Last year, it for the first time released two new iPhone models instead of just one. Last month,Apple again released two new iPhones, this time with bigger screens.

The larger iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smartphones drew a strong reaction early. In the first weekend that the new iPhones went on sale in September, Apple sold 10 million of the devices, up from the 9 million new iPhones sold last year on their opening weekend.

In addition, Apple has teamed up with phone carriers in important markets, particularly China.

Apple's quarterly revenue beat Wall Street expectations for $39.9 billion, according to a survey of analysts by Thomson Reuters. Apple's $1.42 a share profit also exceeded analysts' expectations for $1.31 a share. For Apple's full 2014 fiscal year, profit was $39.5 billion on revenue of $182.8 billion.

Now for the bad news: The company on Monday said it sold 12.3 million iPads over the quarter, down from 14 million in the same quarter last year. The company's iPad sales were down in the previous quarter, too.
Apple also said it sold 5.5 million Macs over the quarter, a major improvement from the 4.6 million it sold in the same period last year. But the Mac is still small fry compared with the iPhone.

In the earnings call, Cook said Apple continued to be very bullish about the iPad's prospects. He noted that over four years, Apple had sold about 230 million iPads, which was double the number of iPhones it sold over the first four years.

ectations for $39.9 billion, according to a survey of analysts by Thomson Reuters. Apple's $1.42 a share profit also exceeded analysts' expectations for $1.31 a share. For Apple's full 2014 fiscal year, profit was $39.5 billion on revenue of $182.8 billion.

Now for the bad news: The company on Monday said it sold 12.3 million iPads over the quarter, down from 14 million in the same quarter last year. The company's iPad sales were down in the previous quarter, too.

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/44898374.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

efore."

But impolite as it may be to point out in the middle of such exuberant returns, those numbers - while enviable for most companies - do pose some risk for Apple, which gets about 70 percent of its profits from the iPhone, said Toni Sacconaghi, a financial analyst for Sanford C. Bernstein research.

As with any company increasingly reliant on a single product, should development of that product falter or if competition from companies like Samsung grows even tougher, Appl ..

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/44898374.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

efore."

But impolite as it may be to point out in the middle of such exuberant returns, those numbers - while enviable for most companies - do pose some risk for Apple, which gets about 70 percent of its profits from the iPhone, said Toni Sacconaghi, a financial analyst for Sanford C. Bernstein research.

As with any company increasingly reliant on a single product, should development of that product falter or if competition from companies like Samsung grows even tougher, Appl ..

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/44898374.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

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Facebook Introducing Safety Check

In times of disaster or crisis, people turn to Facebook to check on loved ones and get updates. It is in these moments that communication is most critical both for people in the affected areas and for their friends and families anxious for news.
We want to provide a helpful tool that people can use when major disasters strike, so we’ve created Safety Check – a simple and easy way to say you’re safe and check on others.
During a major disaster, Safety Check will help you:

• Let friends and family know you’re safe
• Check on others in the affected area
• Mark your friends as safe

Only your friends will see your safety status and the comments you share.
The 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan was devastating. According to the Japanese Red Cross, more than 12.5 million people were affected nationwide, and more than 400,000 people were evacuated. During that crisis we saw how people used technology and social media to stay connected with those they cared about.
Our engineers in Japan took the first step toward creating a product to improve the experience of reconnecting after a disaster. They built the Disaster Message Board to make it easier to communicate with others. They launched a test of the tool a year later and the response was overwhelming.
Unfortunately, these kinds of disasters happen all too frequently. Each time, we see people, relief organizations and first responders turn to Facebook in the aftermath of a major natural disaster.
These events have taught us a lot about how people use Facebook during disasters and we were personally inspired to continue work on the Disaster Message Board to incorporate what we’ve learned. This project soon became Safety Check, which will be available globally on Android, iOS, feature phones and desktop.
The team set out to create a simple and easy-to-use tool that allows people to connect with their network of friends and family when it matters most.
Here’s how it works:
When the tool is activated after a natural disaster and if you’re in the affected area, you’ll receive a Facebook notification asking if you’re safe.
We’ll determine your location by looking at the city you have listed in your profile, your last location if you’ve opted in to the Nearby Friends product, and the city where you are using the internet.

If we get your location wrong, you can mark that you’re outside the affected area.
If you’re safe, you can select “I’m Safe” and a notification and News Feed story will be generated with your update. Your friends can also mark you as safe.

If you have friends in the area of a natural disaster and the tool has been activated, you will receive a notification about those friends that have marked themselves as safe. Clicking on this notification will take you to the Safety Check bookmark that will show you a list of their updates.
If you’re ever in a situation that would require you to use Safety Check, we hope it’s a tool that helps you stay connected to those you care about, and gives you the comfort of knowing your loved ones are safe.

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Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro

Here Comes Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro. It's a Tablet, Its a Laptop. Its a Hybrid Computer.
A Beast in a Slim Body.
Wafer Thin Design. Latest Intel Core M-70 Processor with 8 GB RAM. Stylish & Robust Watchband Hinges.

FIRST IMPRESSION - IMPRESSED !!!

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Facebook Closes WhatsApp Acquisition, Jan Koum To Match Zuckerberg’s $1 Annual Salary

Facebook is now the legal owner of WhatsApp, following a filing made with the SEC today. This is the final step in a process begun when Facebook announced its intent to acquire the messaging company in February of this year. The Facebook deal passed its final regulatory hurdle when it received EU approval to go ahead with the acquisition of WhatsApp last week.
In the filing, the company details the awarding of 177,760,669 shares of Facebook’s Class A common stock and $4.59 billion to WhatsApp stakeholders, plus 45,941,775 in restricted stock to WhatsApp employees to complete the deal. Koum will join Facebook’s board, and will also match Zuckerberg’s annual base salary of $1, without eligibility for the company’s bonus plan, though he does get a signing bonus of 24,853,468 restricted stock units as incentive for joining. Per the filing, Koum is joining Facebook with no fixed term of employment as part of the arrangement, but all indicators are that he wants to stick around to continue to build WhatsApp as a separate brand under the growing Facebook umbrella

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8 Tips to Improve Your WiFi Network Performance

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Odds are pretty good you loaded this page over a WiFi network — or, as it is better known in my house, that $#&*#$!! WiFi network. That’s because our wireless network always chooses the worst possible time to crap out, like when we’re getting to the thrilling climax of House of Cards on Netflix.

Still, it’s better than it used to be. I’ve learned a few WiFi tricks over the years, and asked some folks who know more than I do for a few more. If you’re happy with your current WiFi setup, that’s fine. But if you want faster speeds, more reliable performance, or to just get more use out of your network, try the following eight tips.

1. Get up to speed.First, let’s go over some basics. (If you’re already a WiFi wonk, you can skip this paragraph.) WiFi does not actually mean “wireless fidelity.” Its real name is a number: 802.11, the technical standard for wireless networks first established by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 1997. That number is always accompanied by a letter (like a, b, g, or n) that indicates which version it is. Generally speaking, each new version of 802.11 is faster and more reliable than the last, but “higher” letters don’t always mean faster speed. For example, 802.11a is faster than 802.11b. Go figure.

2. Prepare to pony up.The newest WiFi standard, 802.11ac, is roughly three times faster than the previous champ, 802.11n. In geek-speak, each 802.11ac antenna can move up to 1,300 megabits of data per second (vs. a max of roughly 450 megabits for n). So I’ll just get this out of the way: The easiest and fastest way to get more performance out of your WiFi network is to buy a new 802.11ac router.

That’s especially true if you haven’t bought a router recently. Technology has changed a lot over the past two years, and devices built to work with 802.11ac (like the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus) are coming out every day.

The ASUS RT-AC3200 features six — count ’em, six — antennas, for a maximum theoretical throughput of 3,200 megabits per second. (ASUS)

Older phones and laptops will work fine with newer routers, though they won’t be able to take advantage of the speed or other new features.

But the best 802.11ac routers aren’t cheap. You can expect to drop from $100 to $300 on a new one. (Or, if you’re a T-Mobile customer, you can get a free Personal CellSpot that’s really an ASUS ac router.)

But even with an older router, there are things you can do to squeeze better performance out of your existing gear.

3. Find the right spot.Start by making sure you’ve put the router in the optimal place. Remember, WiFi signals hate water. They’re also not too crazy about metal, glass, brick, insulation, and human bodies; all these materials can impede the signal, notes Sandeep Harpalani, director of product marketing for router maker NETGEAR. For the fastest, most reliable connection, put your router in an open space, as centrally located and as high off the floor as you can.

4. Measure your signal strength.Just a couple of feet can make the difference between strong and wimpy WiFi reception. Mobile apps like Assia’s Cloudcheck or Amped Wireless’s Wi-Fi Analytics Tool let you walk through your home and identify dead spots, so you can figure out the best places to put your WiFi devices.

Assia’s Cloudcheck app lets you know how your WiFi signal fluctuates. It even beeps like a Geiger counter when coverage is strong.

5. Messing with the antennas may help.If your router has adjustable antennas, changing their angle can redirect the signal and cover dead spots. Feeling crafty? Freeantennas.com offers instructions on how to make a parabolic reflector out of card stock and attach it to the antenna to boost the signal (although a directed antenna like that will make the sweet spot extremely narrow.)

If you have a new 802.11ac router, though, you probably won’t need this. They use a technique called beamforming to focus the signal toward devices on the edge of your network, notes Richard Najarian, senior director of wireless connectivity for Broadcom, which makes chipsets for wireless routers and other devices.

6. Try changing the channel.
Older WiFi routers are prone to interference from other devices operating in the same spectrum — which sadly includes microwave ovens, many cordless phones, Bluetooth headsets, or your neighbors’ wireless networks. Usually the router’s default settings work fine, but if your wireless signal seems flaky, you can dial up your router’s administration page and change the channel to see if things improve.

Mobile apps like WiEye for Android let you view all the wireless nets nearby to see what channels they’re on. (Sorry, iPhone fans — Apple has banished WiFi scanners from the iTunes Store; you’ll have to rely on a desktop app like WiFi Scanner for Mac or WiFi Channel Scanner for Windows.)

Most routers can use 11 channels (specific radio frequencies) and are set at channel 1, 6, or 11 by default, because these frequencies don’t overlap with one another. (So if your neighbor’s network is broadcasting on 6, set yours at 1 or 11 to avoid interference.) Routers that operate in the 5 GHz range (802.11a, n, and ac) broadcast across 23 channels and are less prone to interference, so there’s less need to futz with the channel settings.

You can go into your router’s Web control panel to change channels; you may also be able to use a router-specific app like NETGEAR genie or Cisco Connect Express.

7. Use both bands.
Many routers have radios that operate on two frequencies, roughly 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz (each channel works on a specific frequency near that). So you can have two separate networks running at the same time, one for devices that access WiFi at the lower frequency and another for those that connect at 5 GHz. The higher band is less crowded and better for high-bandwidth uses like streaming video, says Joseph Yarak, director of marketing for Quantenna Communications, a WiFi chipset maker.

8. Use wires when possible.As fast as the newest WiFi standard is, a wireless connection still isn’t as fast or reliable as a standard wired one. When possible, connect bandwidth-hungry devices that stay in one location — like your Roku streaming media boxes or Xbox gaming consoles — directly to your router via networking cable, and save the wireless connections for the stuff that moves around.

Questions, complaints, kudos? Email Dan Tynan at ModFamily1@yahoo.com.

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6 Ways to Save Money on Your Electronics

We love our gadgets, but they sometimes cost us more than we expected — even after we bring them home. Our experts have lots of tips on how to save money when it comes to buying, using, and eventually selling your electronic devices. This advice could save you hundreds of dollars a year.

1. Don’t buy expensive cables.“Prestige” brands offer very high-priced cables: Some HDMI cables in the 6-foot range sell for $100 or more, and longer cables can cost several times that. But we’ve found that the modestly priced brands sold at most consumer electronics stores and online for far less work just as well in typical use. We’ve had no problems using 6-foot HDMI cables we bought online for a few dollars. Any “high-speed” (Category 2) HDMI cable should be adequate for connecting to a TV — even for 3D. Just avoid the really cheap cables at dollar stores; those might have flimsy connectors or inadequate shielding on the cable itself.

2. Check a printer’s ink usage before you buy.High ink or toner cartridge costs can make a bargain-priced printer a bad deal in the long run. That’s why Consumer Reports labs tests ink usage — including the ink used by an inkjet printer just to maintain its print heads during intermittent use — and factors that into our printer ratings. Also, look for a printer that uses separate color cartridges. This is generally more economical.

When you buy stuff can make a difference in price. Visit our guide to the best times to buy anything.

3. Sell your old devices.If your used gadget is still in good shape, you might be able to get some cash for it. Check out our guide to the best places to sell devices. If you’re upgrading your device, ask the company you’ll be buying from whether it takes trade-ins and gives a discount for them. And, for good measure, here’s a guide to how to sell just about anything.

4. Unplug your devices.You might be shocked by how much energy electronics suck up. Video-game consoles draw lots of power, even when they’re off or in standby mode; pulling the plug can put around $125 a year back in your pocket. If you have a set-top box at home, consider trading it for one that meets Energy Star’s tougher new 3.0 specification. Make sure your TV is set to the energy-efficient Home mode. And save $75 or more a year on your computer by using the standby or hibernate setting.

5. Negotiate a better deal.Try to negotiate a lower price on a new computer, tablet, or really, any electronics device — or even on a telecom bill. You can often get a better price just by asking for it. It doesn’t hurt to haggle anywhere, but you’ll probably have a better chance of getting a price break at an independent store or regional chain than at a major chain store. And even if you’re buying online, you should still try for a better deal. Anecdotes from successful online hagglers indicate that most of them negotiated by phone, although a few used email.

6. Don’t let your kids play games with in-app purchases.App stores — especially Apple’s — have taken heat from consumers (and the FCC) recently for making it too easy for kids to buy “gems,” “coins,” and other items sold within games, sometimes racking up hundreds of dollars in bills. If you do allow your child to play such games, first read our guide on how to control in-app purchases.

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You Can Now Download a Preview Version of Windows 10

After offering a first look at its forthcoming operating system yesterday, Microsoft is giving users a chance to try out a version on their own machines. The Windows 10 preview is now available for download.

The new operating system will be compatible not only with the PC but with a wide range of other devices including Xbox consoles, smartphones, tablets and even connected appliances. Microsoft also plans to offer a unified, cross-device apps platform.

Windows 10 marks the return of the Start menu, which provides quick access to frequently used files and programs. The interface also includes a new area that users can customize with links to their favorite apps and websites.

Another new feature is that Windows Store apps will now be opened in the same way as programs running on the desktop, meaning it will be possible to resize, move and collapse them using the upper navigation bar.

Microsoft seeks to improve multi-tasking capabilities in this latest version of Windows, which will allow up to four apps to be open on the screen at once. Windows 10 also makes it easier for users to create two desktops (personal and/or professional) and to easily toggle between them.

Microsoft has not announced the exact release date, but it is known that the final version of Windows 10 will not be available until spring 2015 at the earliest. The official Windows 10 preview went up for for download October 1 at 12:00pm EDT.

Watch a video on Windows 10: youtu.be/84NI5fjTfpQ
Download the preview of Windows 10: preview.windows.com

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Report: Advanced iOS Virus Targeting Hong Kong Protesters

Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a computer virus that spies on Apple’s iOS operating system for the iPhone and iPad, and they believe it is targeting pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.

The malicious software, known as Xsser, is capable of stealing text messages, photos, call logs, passwords, and other data from Apple mobile devices, researchers with Lacoon Mobile Security said Tuesday.

They uncovered the spyware while investigating similar malware for Google’s Android operating system last week that also targeted Hong Kong protesters. Anonymous attackers spread the Android spyware via WhatsApp, sending malicious links to download the program, according to Lacoon.

It is unclear how iOS devices get infected with Xsser, which is not disguised as an app.

Lacoon Chief Executive Michael Shaulov told Reuters that Xsser is the most sophisticated malware used to date in any known cyberattack on iOS users.

“This is one the most interesting developments we have seen,” he said. “It’s the first real indication that really sophisticated guys are shifting from infecting PCs or laptops to going after iOS devices.”

(Reuters)

The code used to control that server is written in Chinese. The high quality of the campaign and the fact that it is being used to target protesters suggests that it is coming from a sophisticated attacker in China, Shaulov said.

“It is the first time in history that you actually see an operationalized iOS Trojan that is attributed to some kind of Chinese entity,” he said.

A Trojan is a term used by cyber researchers to describe malware that enters a device disguised as something harmless.

Still, he said his company’s research team has yet to identify any specific victims of the iOS Trojan.

Lacoon said on its blog that it is possible the attackers might have deployed the Trojan in other places, in addition to spying on pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.

“It can cross borders easily, and is possibly being operated by a Chinese-speaking entity to spy on individuals, foreign companies, or even entire governments,” they said in a blog post describing their analysis.

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Everything You Need to Know (and Fear) About Facebook’s New Ad Network, Atlas

(AFP)

This week, Facebook announced the latest version of its advertising initiative, a network it has lovingly dubbed “Atlas.” Facebook has pitched it, on its own website, as a tool that “delivers people-based marketing” for clients.

That might automatically sound suspicious coming from a company known for its occasional disregard for individuals’ privacy.

So what does this fancy new money-making tool mean for us Facebookers? Below is a guide to everything you should know.

Wait, how is this different from the way Facebook has already been stalking me?Let’s review how Facebook’s advertising platform functioned before Atlas. In short, it collects data on its 1.3 billion users to sell targeted ads that appear on its website. It does this by combining what it knows about you as a Facebook surfer and what it learns from your activities outside of Facebook via cookies it installs in your browser that follow you around as you surf the Web.

You know the old story: You look up a pair of amazing shoes you want to buy that are clearly out of your price range. Then the shoes follow you around on your favorite social networks for the rest of the week, taunting you to purchase them.

Companies like Google do this, too, but because Facebook has an absurd amount of personal intel on you, this tactic has helped it become the second-biggest ad-slinger in the world.

How is Atlas different?Cookies don’t work as well on mobile apps, which presents a problem for advertisers, who are hungry to penetrate that increasingly popular digital space. Cookies also don’t tell advertisers what percentage of people bought something after seeing it in an online or mobile advertisement.

Atlas does both of those things.

Does that mean Atlas is hitting up brands and saying, “Yo, Alyssa bought your stuff after seeing your ad”?Not exactly. Facebook itself knows who you are and whether you’ve clicked through an ad on its site to buy something. But when it offers this information to its clients, it doesn’t single out individuals and say, “Alyssa Bereznak bought a new thing from Anthropologie;here’s her full name, relationship history, and area of residence.”

Rather, Anthropologie will hand Facebook a list of people who bought some of its gorgeous yet prohibitively expensive rugs. Facebook then compares that list with the number of people who saw Anthropologie ads and tells the company the percentage of targeted users who actually bought those rugs.

This helps Anthropologie know how successful its investment on the platform was. It doesn’t know that you, specifically, dropped lots of bills on a rug — just how many did, versus how many saw the ad.

Oh, so it’s not much different from other targeted ads online?Yeah, except Facebook knows you much better. So even if Google can see from your search history that you’re interested in new furniture, Facebook is probably much more in tune with what’s going on with you, based on the content of your posts (“Got a new apartment! Need to cover up some gross spots on the floor but I love it!” and other fun stuff like that).

Is there a way to opt out of Atlas?There is! You can stop Facebook from following you around the Web by following the instructions here.

Should I be afraid or upset?This depends on whether you’re one of those fatalistic people who has willingly surrendered a large part of her privacy in order to function in the modern digital world. I, for example, am mostly “meh” about the whole thing.

That being said, lots of smart, brand-fearing people are vigilant in their fight against advertising tactics like these. I salute you for it and wish you luck building an oasis of the Internet that’s not crawling with tracking tools. But, remember, even companies that loudly pledge to protect your data will eventually find ways to please advertisers.

Where can I find out more?Facebook has set up a special website to inform members about Atlas. You can visit and “take a tour” of the Atlas system there.

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