🇷🇺 Did this happen to you? The U.S. government banned Kaspersky because of its ties to the Kremlin. Without warning, the Russian company deleted its software from its subscribers’ computers and replaced it with something called UltraAV. If you were using Kaspersky for antivirus protection, try my antivirus pick instead.
How to take the perfect profile pic for social media sites
© Tsyhun | Dreamstime
Your profile picture is more important than you might think. It’s your chance to make a good first impression on the world. That’s why you must know how to take the perfect profile picture for all your accounts.
Say you’re applying for a new job. Potential employers will run background checks on your social media presence. You need to have good pictures that show you at your best.
You might even want to run a check on yourself to get an idea of what other people are seeing. Here’s how to run a free background check on yourself. Here are a few ways to improve your LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram profile picture.
A few ways to look better on LinkedIn
This is incredibly important because it gives employers an idea of what you’ll look like at work. Choose a picture that shows how competent, influential and likable you are.
Not sure how that comes across in a picture? Just upload your LinkedIn profile picture to Photofeeler, a free picture rating website. Strangers will let you know how you come across.
Instead of uploading a picture with a toothy grin, take a professional photo with a slight smile. You want to look friendly without showing too much enthusiasm. Also, use a picture that has a blurred background so the person viewing your profile can focus on your face.
How to take the perfect profile picture for Facebook
Family shots are a great option. After all, Facebook is all about connecting with other people, so it makes sense to pick a photo of you with loved ones. Just make sure you’re the focal point of the picture.
Improve your look on Instagram
We recommend picking an action-oriented photograph. Show yourself doing something you love. For example, if you like surfing, show yourself riding those waves.
Instagram is more personal than LinkedIn and less family-oriented than Facebook. It’s okay to let your hair down a little. Just make sure you don’t get too comfortable, or you might put off employers.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and lots of love from me
ID 132766648 © Julia Sudnitskaya | Dreamstime.com
Christmas Day is a time for reflection, gratitude and connection. This year, it’s extra special as Hanukkah also begins tonight. Both holidays remind us of the importance of light, hope and the traditions that bring us closer together.
She wasn’t dating Keanu Reeves
67-year-old Katherine Goodson from Vista, California, fell for a romance scam. She thought it was the real thing with the Keanu Reeves. She sent “him” tens of thousands of dollars for “emergency expenses,” only to get ghosted when her money ran out. Now, she’s living in her car. Seriously, where’s John Wick to hunt these criminals down?
75% of Facebook sharesHappen without clicking the article
75% of Facebook sharesHappen without clicking the article. Between 2017 and 2020, researchers checked 35 million URLs. Surprise, many people fell for clickbait headlines and short blurbs instead of actually reading the stories. Extreme political posts on both sides got the most shares. No shocker there.
I have specs appeal: Meta’s speeding up the release of a bunch of new features for its Ray-Ban smart glasses, including an AR display that’ll show you notifications. They’re also hoping to push out their $10,000 Orion AR glasses. Sales of smart glasses are up 73% this year, so they’d better get to scootin’.
Slice of tech history
A YouTuber just saved a 440-pound retro CRT TV from demolition in Osaka, Japan. What’s the big deal? The 45-inch TV is the largest CRT ever made and sold in the 80s for an equivalent of $100,000. It’s the stuff of legends. Here’s a video of the rescue mission.
$2 billion
MacKenzie Scott’s donation spree this year. Since her split from Jeff Bezos in 2019, she’s dished out $19.2 billion. She got 4% of Amazon in the divorce. About 75% of her cash donations have gone toward fighting poverty. She’s still one of the richest women in the world, with a net worth of almost $41 billion.
🛸 I want to believe: AI-generated videos of UFOs and drone swarms are flooding the web and fooling a lot of people. Saucers flying over NYC, “motherships” hovering over the Pacific and shots of ships straight from “Star Wars” are getting hundreds of thousands of likes. This video shows you just how easy it is to make AI drone videos. Don’t fall for it!
Slice of tech history: A YouTuber just saved a 440-pound retro CRT TV from demolition in Osaka, Japan. What’s the big deal? The 45-inch TV is the largest CRT ever made, and it originally sold in the ‘80s for the equivalent of $100,000 today. It’s the stuff of legends. Here’s a video of the rescue mission.
🛸 I want to believe
AI-generated videos of fake UFOS and drone swarms are flooding the web and fooling a whole lot of people. Saucers flying over NYC, “mother ships” hovering over the Pacific and shots of ships straight from “Star Wars” are getting hundreds of thousands of likes. Check out this video that shows how easy it is to make AI drone videos. Don’t fall for it!
Pushing out the little guy: Google’s algorithm changes are hitting smaller independent websites hard. Between AI-generated answers, sponsored ads and bigger publishers getting all the play, gaming site Retro Dodo says its traffic has tanked 85% since September 2023. Just 16 companies own over 400 sites that receive 3.8 billion clicks a month from Google. Let that sink in for a moment.
🚘 Looking for a cheap Tesla? Try renting one on Hertz. One Reddit user did, then scored a 2023 Tesla Model 3 with 30,000 miles for just $17,913. Be careful — most are pretty beaten up by the time they hit over 100,000 miles. That’s when Tesla’s battery warranty expires, so it may not be such a steal after all.
Memory lane: Here’s a hot TikTok trend I told you about (checks watch) 10 years ago. Pop into old Street View photos on Google Maps for a hit of virtual nostalgia. Fun finds: One gal spotted her childhood dog in the yard, and another found herself in high school cleaning eggs off her car. Open Google Maps on a browser, type in an address and click the photo that pops up. Choose See more dates. Find something great? Let me know!
70 cents a mile
Next year’s IRS mileage rate for business travel. The 3-cent increase kicks in for 2025 trips and taxes due in 2026. Tax question: How long do leftovers have to be in the fridge before you can claim them as dependents?
🐶 Hold onto your leash: Have you seen the viral videos of dogs pressing buttons on soundboards to “talk”? They’re real! A study tracked over 190,000 button presses from 152 dogs over 21 months. Dogs pressed buttons like “play + ball” in a way that showed they knew what they wanted. (That’s why your pup isn’t hitting the “bath” button.) I’m eyeing this set so I can teach Abby!
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13% less risk
Of mild cognitive decline by doing just one exercise session a week. Scientists say 30 minutes is enough to keep your mind sharp as you age. How ‘bout an indoor bike or treadmill if you don’t want to (or can’t) leave the house? It’ll be a new year for a new you!
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📸 Saving memories: A North Carolina woman is using Instagram to reunite families with photographs lost during Hurricane Helene. Taylor Schenker has collected hundreds of photos from the debris and shares them on her page, Photos from Helene. Folks can reach out to claim them or have them mailed back. Only about 15% have been returned. Spread the word if you can.
Shady streaming: Spotify is filling playlists with “ghost artists” so they don’t have to pay so much in royalties. Just 20 songwriters are behind over 500 artists and thousands of tracks. The genres most affected? Classical, jazz, ambient and lo-fi hip-hop.