Shopping Product Reviews

The application that is selling you

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I just spent a week in beautiful Costa Rica. My family and I swim, sail, snorkel, communicate with wildlife, and parachute above the Pacific Ocean.

We didn’t see any Pokémon. That’s because, unlike much of the rest of humanity, we weren’t looking for anyone to use the app that has taken the world by storm: Pokémon Go.

Surprisingly, my pre-teen daughter didn’t object to our Pokémon-free existence. To my great satisfaction, he seems to enjoy more cerebral activities … mainly.

But even if he had begged me, I would have refused to give in. There is no Pokémon Go for us. That’s because I don’t feel like turning my family into negotiable data points … and neither should you.

Unfortunately, Pokémon Go is the least of our concerns in this regard …

Pokémon Go: the product is YOU

Veterans like me remember paying for software. Do you remember updating to a new version of Windows or Microsoft Office every year? In those days, getting complex apps for free, like those available for today’s smartphones, was unthinkable.

This is because, until about five years ago, the software itself was the product from which developers made a profit. It was no different from selling cars, refrigerators, or any other complexly manufactured product.

No more. I still pay a nominal fee each year to “subscribe” to updates for some software products, but many of the ones I use every day are completely free.

It is not that they are cheap to develop, quite the contrary. Today’s software is much more complex and powerful than the stuff we used to pay hundreds of dollars for.

This is because current software is not the revenue-generating part of the business model. It is not the main thing that is sold for profit.

You are.

Beware of gift-bearing geeks

In recent years, I have repeatedly warned that piracy is only part of the threat of the digital age. Less obvious, and more insidious, is the process by which you become a commodity that is marketed for profit by the companies whose products they use.

The best known examples are the large online groups such as Google and social networks such as Facebook. Both provide their services to the user for free. Both of you, however, spend most of their efforts not on improving those services, but on gathering information about you that can be sold to the highest bidder.

My favorite example is the poor guy who Googled “pancreatic cancer” and started seeing online advertisements for funeral homes. Another is the parent who received an email from some business with the words “DAUGHTER DEAD IN CAR ACCIDENT” printed on the envelope. Some idiot had misconfigured the marketing algorithm and the targeting criteria were being printed on thousands of emails.

Google and Facebook (and many others) started making money selling micro-targeted online ads to third parties like those funeral homes. But they quickly learned that they could make even more money selling the data that advertisers use to microtargeting. Precise figures are hard to come by, but with marketers reporting a 200% to 300% increase in revenue using such data, it’s safe to say that big data collectors are coining it by selling to them.

Pokémon Go takes this one step further. It does not have any ads. For the user, it seems completely ad-free. But advertisers will continue to pay to reach those users … in a much more dangerous way.

Go boldly where no app has gone before

Pokémon Go has been downloaded 20 million times in the US It just launched in Asia and Europe. Nintendo’s share price has soared more than 50% in two weeks. Pokémon Go has already surpassed Twitter in daily active users and is even closing in on Facebook.

While the app is free, users can make in-app purchases as lures to attract Pokémon to their location or “cages” to keep them. However, the game is about to unleash one of the most powerful ad campaigns in digital history … all selling frighteningly detailed information about its users.

For example, the app will soon offer “sponsored placements” to paid partners. Geolocation and geofence technology will allow advertisers to target specific buildings and match that with signals from mobile devices. Advertisers will know exactly where you are and will serve ads based on your precise location, much like the infamous scene from a shopping mall in Minority Report.

By paying Pokémon Go developers a large fee, a brand like McDonald’s (whose logo has already been seen in the Pokémon Go code) will be able to turn their stores into desirable locations in the virtual Pokémon universe. That will draw gamers to those places, where they will be tempted to buy “IRL” stuff, in real life. Advertisers will be charged based on “cost per visit,” similar to the “cost per click” that Google charges advertisers.

Get all

Initial reports that Pokémon Go collects detailed information from the Google account, such as the content of emails, appear to have been incorrect.

But the app owners don’t need those things. They’re going for something bigger. They want to know your location at all times so they can sell that information to the highest bidder.

Judge Louis Brandeis once defined privacy as “the right to be left alone.” If that’s what you want, it’s up to you to make sure it happens.

Sports

Yahoo Fantasy Hockey Strategy Project 2010-11

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As a continuation of my previous article on CBS Fantasy Hockey Draft Strategy, I wanted to come back with a breakdown of how I should approach writing in a standard Yahoo head-to-head league. Many of the directors are the same as CBS (and any league for that matter). For now, I’ll focus on the specific things you need to know about Yahoo Fantasy Hockey leagues in order to select a winning team.

List limits

The first thing to note about Yahoo’s standard setup is that they choose to split the forwards by specific position (C, LW, RW), rather than group the wingers or all of the forwards together. This has a great impact on your strategy. In most other formats, I tend to focus on goal and defense early on; however, in this league, left wingers are a rare commodity. Talent in this position drops dramatically after a small handful of elite options. Based on Yahoo rankings and position rankings, the top 10 options deserve consideration in a very early draft. After that, you stick with Alex Burrows, Patrick Elias, and Dustin Penner as your starting LW. And you need to place two players in that position. Contrast that with the RW position. Post the top 10, you still have solid options: Kessel, Hossa, Horton, Eriksson. It is even more dramatic when you look at the Center. Sure, it’s great to have Crosby, Stamkos, or Malkin at the helm, but will you really be struggling to settle for people like: Zetterberg, Getzlaf, Carter, Mike Richards, or Kopitar? You can go 20 deep and still have standout options like Stastny or Brad Richards.

So while I still highly recommend attacking a goalie and maybe one of the top 5 defenders early on, you should make sure you pick a left winger for round 3. After your first LW is taken, unless you’re Willing to stack the position at the expense of other positions, he can wait in his second LW until the end of the draft. The options you will get in round 6 are not much better than what you will find in round 12.

Flexible players

It only applies to a handful of players, but it’s worth noting that multiple players each season earn the special designation of running for more than one position. These guys have added value on your list, as you can use them wherever needed. Most noteworthy: Dany Heatley (LW / RW), Rick Nash (LW / RW) and Patrick Marleau (LW / C). Heatley is the most valuable as he could easily qualify as your best LW or best RW. Drafting Heatley gives you an advantage in terms of flexibility later in the draft and throughout the season.

I / R point

Yahoo has a unique option that allows you to take a player on the IR that will not count against your other places on the list. Take advantage of this throughout the season, and even during the draft. I recommend selecting a player who you know will start the season injured (Markov, Burrows). At the beginning of the season, you can place it in the place of GO and you will have a free choice to complete it. Always look to collect damaged stars and keep the place full.

System of points

Unlike CBS, which awards stat-based fantasy points, Yahoo’s standard head-to-head leagues are scored old-school steakhouse style. (Note: this is one of the main reasons I no longer play on Yahoo). These settings affect your strategy in several important ways.

1. Pay attention to all categories.

In a point-based system, +/- can be largely ignored. In a Yahoo league, having the best +/- is just as important as goals. This doesn’t make logical sense, but it is, so plan your draft accordingly. If a guy is notoriously bad at +/- or refuses to take a penalty to save his life, demote that player.

2. Bullies are welcome.

Since penalty minutes are valued the same as goals, why not recruit a bully to round to your extremes? A player could win that category on your own, so even if Zenon Konopka only scores you 2 goals again next season, his 15 Pims a week may be worth it.

3. Bring in the substitute goalkeepers.

Total goals allowed and saves do not matter here. These are averages (GAA /% savings). What that means is that a workhorse like Vokoun, who can lead the league in saves, won’t necessarily be as valuable as a guy who plays every other game and has a low GAA in the process. Therefore, do not necessarily avoid substitutes or goalkeepers in a split split scenario. You have to meet a minimum number of games played each week, so the best strategy here is to grab a top-notch number one goalie early in the draft and then wait for your second goalkeeper to arrive. There will be a lot of solid endorsements in the 10th round and beyond. Guys like Gustavson and Giguere become viable as they will both see one game a week and should post decent numbers behind that Toronto defense. In a points-based league, these two would not be drafted. This approach may hold you back in wins and shutouts, but it will benefit the other categories.

4. Unfortunately, defense is irrelevant.

It breaks my heart to say this, but in this format, you can and should treat defense as an afterthought. If you can catch one of the top 5 defenders early, do so, because the talent level drops significantly after that. Mike Green will score as a forward and is therefore worthy of an early pick. However, since defense and offense are bundled together in Yahoo’s leagues to score, they have relatively little value. The best plan is to take 1 elite defense if you can early, get your second D around the 8-10 round, then fill in your other starting spots before rounding up this position.

Draft room rules

Unlike CBS, Yahoo leaves you the keys and lets you drive your car however you want. There are no restrictions on the number of players you can select at any position. If you want to fill your bench with 4 goalkeepers, you can. I’m just pointing this out, as it’s a dramatic difference from the focus on CBS. Here, you can choose the best player available at all times.

Player Ranking

Finally, take a close look at the Yahoo player rankings and play with them accordingly. The average general manager will tend to follow Yahoo’s picks blindly. Stay informed and watch out for these situations.

Devalued

Here are some underrated players you can expect and get as a steal later than you would in other draft rooms:

Goalkeepers: Anti Niemi, Marty Turco

Defender: Shea Weber, PK Subban, Lubomir Visnovsky

Centers: Anze Kopitar, Jordan Staal

Left winger: Dany Heatley, Wojtek Wolski, James Neal

Right winger: Alexander Semin, Marian Hossa

Overrated

Here are some names that will fly off the board early, based on Yahoo’s overpricing:

Goalkeepers: Craig Anderson

Defender: Andrei Markov (wounded), Niklas Kronwall (wounded), Sheldon Souray

Centers: Jonathan Toews, Tomas Plekanec

Left winger: Alex Burrows (wounded), Patrik Elias

Right winger: Daniel Alfredsson, Nikolai Zherdev

Tours Travel

Low Carb and Ketogenic Diet Fast Food Menu Options: How to Eat Successfully at Restaurants

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For those who eat low carb or keto diets, there is almost always something they can eat at all fast food restaurants or places. Plan ahead. Before entering a restaurant, check its menu and nutritional information online at home or using your smartphone. It’s always good to know the safe options before you are tempted by menu items that you shouldn’t have on a low-carb diet.

To make it easier to find a quick keto-friendly option, I’ve compiled a list of various restaurants and fast food places and those items I’ve found to be the lowest carb (and most emotionally satisfying) options. These aren’t all perfect options, but when you don’t have any other options due to time or location constraints, they’ll do it in a pinch.

It helps that fast food places are necessary to post nutritional content. It’s easier to stick to the keto plan every day. The carb count I am listing is approximate and is NET grams.

In general, there is usually some salad option anywhere you are. At burger joints, just remove the bun, and many places offer lettuce wraps instead. The chicken should not be breaded.

As a side note, it helps to have a knife and fork handy in your car or purse. Big, juicy burgers on small pieces of lettuce end up on the table or on your lap. Small and flimsy fast food plastic containers also make feeding difficult. Get out your own sturdy utensils and enjoy!

Now for the food options … here are some pretty obvious rules of thumb to follow:

  • Skip the bun or wrap
  • Skip pasta, potato, or rice.
  • Salads, without croutons. Stick with the low-sugar dressing options: Caesar, blue cheese, ranch, chipotle. Look at the name that can give you a clue, things like “honey” in the honey dijon or “sweet” in the name of the dressing; these are generally not a good option. Check the ingredient for items that are higher in carbohydrates.
  • Chicken – Choose grilled or sautéed. Stay away from any breaded chicken.

McDonald’s – opt for any burger (zero g) or grilled chicken (2 g) without the bun and topped with cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, onion, etc. No tomato sauce. Add a salad (3 g). Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad or Grilled Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad are 9g.

Burger King – the same hamburger information as McDonald’s: hamburger (zero g) without the bun and topped with cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, onions, etc. No tomato sauce. The tender grilled chicken sandwich without bun is 3g. BEWARE: You might think the veggie burger is low, but it has 19g of carbs, making it about a full keto carb day. Add a salad (3 g). Grilled Tender Chicken Salad is 8g without dressing or croutons. Tender chicken salad is not an option. Do not you dare.

BONUS – dessert!?! – Fresh Apple Fries are not fried and have 5g net carbs WITHOUT caramel sauce.

Underground – You should probably skip the subway if you can. Buns and wraps are high in carbohydrates. I suppose you could have them dump the ingredients in a wrap without bread, but that doesn’t sound appealing. I don’t have information on what the carb count would be for each sub without muffin, but you can probably figure it out – chicken or pepperoni is fine, but is “sweet onion” chicken okay? No idea. Stick to salads, but keep in mind that you will only get iceberg lettuce (4g).

Carl’s Junior and Hardees – This chain offers “lettuce wrappers” – your burger wrapped in a large chunk of lettuce for easy low carb eating. (Like I said, I tried it and I don’t love it. Instead, I like to bring my own fork.) Breadless options: Six Dollar Burger (7g), 1/2 Thick Burger (5g), Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich (7g / 10g at Hardees). Grilled chicken salad without croutons is 10 g. The salad is 3 g.

Jimmy John’s – The unwich, a sandwich wrapped in lettuce, fits perfectly here. Meats are fine, just make sure the ingredients are not high in carbohydrates.

Wendy’s – Again, you can get your burger in a lettuce wrap or box. Any hamburger with toppings. Mayo has corn syrup and is 1g. The grilled chicken fillet is 1 g. It can be ordered in the Chicken Club Sandwich or the Best Grilled Chicken Sandwich. Best salads: chicken caesar (7g), blt chicken salad with grilled chicken. Side salads aer 6g or 2g for Caesar.

Pizza Hut and other pizzerias – It is possible to get used to eating pizza without a crust. You need to eat twice as much, but if there’s a party or dinner you can’t avoid at a pizza place, just peel off the cheesy toppings and eat the big messy pile of cheese and toppings. A salad is a nice addition. Otherwise, opt to make pizza at home on a low carb base.

Mongolian barbecue – YES! Load up your bowl with chicken, shrimp, onion slices, and mushrooms, then top with the Asian Black Bean Dip. I know beans have carbs, but this sauce label says 1 gram of carbs per ounce (each sauce is clearly labeled). Add some garlic and wait for the rotisserie to do its job. Needless to say, you skip the appetizers, the tortillas, and the rice. Ask the waiters not to bring them to the table.

Italian restaurants – These require a bit of cunning, but can be conquered! Ideas: How about Chicken Marsala in an Italian place? Make sure it doesn’t come with pasta. Substitute for broccoli or some other keto garnish, or a large salad. The chicken piccata is also a possibility.

Mexican and Chinese restaurants are the hardest, because any low carb option is not the reason to go to the restaurant in the first place. At a Mexican restaurant, I tend to get a large beanless burrito and spread the tortilla smooth like a plate. Eat the internal ingredients and stir the tortilla.

If you MUST go to a Chinese buffet (I attended a funeral dinner at one), you can find options, but they probably won’t be your favorite General Tso. What about the salad bar options? eggs? the inside of the egg rolls, and I even ate the inside of just crab Rangoons. Unfortunately, these ideas leave a lot of discarded shells and fried outer pieces on your plate and make it look like you’re really wasting food.

Wings anywhere – Standard buffalo sauce is usually fine, as well as garlic and Parmesan.

Convenience stores It can also be a good option! 7-11 has packets of hard-boiled eggs, cheese slices, slim jims, almonds, and pork rinds. The pork rinds have a barbecue flavor and are ZERO carbs.

Remember, whatever you choose, hold the bread, potatoes, rice, noodles, French fries, and tortillas. And watch out for the possibility of cornstarch, breadcrumbs, and other fillings. With proper planning and a good attitude, you can find healthy low-carb and ketogenic options when dining out and follow your successful ketogenic diet plan.

Arts Entertainments

Female bodybuilding has a long tradition

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Bodybuilding was essentially a male-dominated sport for quite some time. But once women started paying attention to art, they mastered its demands fairly quickly, as they have been doing in almost every profession.

The first female star in the bodybuilding firmament was Lisa Lyon, who was born in California, United States, in 1953. Her alma mater was UCLA and she was quite interested in the Japanese martial art of Kendo.

Although she was very interested in bodybuilding, one of the main reasons for her participation in the women’s bodybuilding competition was the active encouragement she received from bodybuilding champion Arnold Schwarzenegger. Her judgment turned out to be correct when she managed to win first prize in the female bodybuilding competition.

Another prominent star in the world of bodybuilding is Rachel McLish, the first holder of the Ms. Olympia title in the international bodybuilding competition organized by the IFBB or the International Federation of Bodybuilders. The Texas-born woman became an icon of female body perfection and was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 1999.

Another name in the world of female bodybuilding is that of the Australian Bev Francis, who began her athletic activity as a shot putter. She and Ms. McLish acted together in the female bodybuilding documentary, Pumping Iron II: The Women. She was considered too muscular by generally accepted standards of femininity and her entry into the sport led to much controversy over the standards to apply to female bodybuilding athletes.

Bev Francis, although she caused quite a stir in the bodybuilding world, did not win the Ms. Olympia title and came in second behind Lenda Murray, who took the title in 1991. Murray continued her winning streak for eight more. weather. His popularity peaked in 2003, the year in which he last won the title.

Other well-known names in the field of female bodybuilding are Juliette Bergman and Mandy Blank. The first won the title in the 2001 Ms. Olympia competition and the second was an IFBB professional fitness competitor. Ms. Blank’s body was not very muscular and she followed a style that is in keeping with the most commonly accepted standards of feminine aesthetics.

There’s also Monica Brant, a professional fitness competitor who was Ms. Jan Tana Pro Fitness Champion, as well as Ms. Fitness Olympia Champion from 1998. And Sharon Leigh Bruneau is a Canadian model-turned-bodybuilder who became famous in the field. and is currently pursuing an acting carrier.

Technology

The 5 best arcade games of the 80s

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I remember as a kid I wanted to go to the local store to play the latest arcade games from the 1980s. My friends and I dug up as many coins as we could find and spent countless hours playing these innovative games. The late 70s and early 80s were known as the “golden age” of the arcade game industry. These games became very popular during this time, in part due to new types of gameplay involving hand-eye coordination, skill, timing, and shooting things as fast as possible. The arcade games industry peaked in 1982 generating $ 8 billion in quarters, equivalent to $ 18.5 billion in 2011! These are our top 5.

5. Defender

I remember this was an extremely difficult game, yet very challenging and entertaining to play. The objective of the game is to fight off waves of invading aliens while protecting the astronauts on an alien planet. Astronauts captured by aliens return as mutants to attack you. If you didn’t protect the astronauts, the planet would explode and fill with mutants. Defender garnered high praise for its audio and video and was listed as the sixth arcade game for technical, creative and cultural impact by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2008. It is considered one of the most difficult games in the industry. , using a joystick and five other buttons to play. Defender sold 60,000 units of hardware and generated gross revenue of $ 1 billion through 2002.

4. Ms. Pac-Man

At number 4 is the girlfriend of the original Pac-Man with 125,000 units of hardware sold. Although she never got her man, she managed to entertain millions of people around the world. She was also a television star, appearing on the animated television series Pac-Man where she played Pepper, Pac-Man’s wife. The objective of the game was to eat all the balls and prevent the ghosts from scoring as many points as possible. Eating certain power granules allowed him to eat the ghosts and there were also fruit bonuses that, when consumed, increased the value in points. As you reach higher levels, the ghosts move faster and the energy balls change to the ghosts for less time. Ms. Pac-Man wears a small red bow and scenes from her relationship with Pac-Man are shown during intermissions between levels. Another notable feature that differs from the original Pac-Man game is that the orange ghost is named Sue, rather than Clyde. The game is said to have 256 levels, but I’ve obviously never gotten this far!

3. Donkey Kong

This was one of my favorites to play with as a kid. The game was groundbreaking for its time and featured an ape, a damsel in distress, and an Italian plumber performing a crazy story. Mario, a carpenter, climbs platforms and climbs stairs at a construction site while the ape named Donkey Kong throws barrels at him. Mario must also dodge fire and other obstacles to reach the top of the platforms and rescue the damsel who is holding the grumpy Donkey Kong. Mario became Nintendo’s flagship character and spawned several different game sequels. Nintendo originally wanted to make a Popeye comic book game, but was unable to obtain a license for it. They decided to develop their own characters and created a love triangle between an ape, a carpenter, and a girlfriend, which was similar to the love triangle between Popeye, Bluto, and Olive Oyl. Donkey Kong was created in 1981 and sold 132,000 units of hardware and generated 280 million dollars until 1982.

2. Space Invaders

This is probably one of the most addictive games I have ever played. When it finally came out on the Atari 2600, my friends and I played it for hours on end. The game consists of a laser cannon at the bottom of the screen that moves from side to side as you shoot the waves of approaching alien invaders. After shooting the first wave of aliens, the remaining ones begin to approach much faster. Soon the aliens start shooting and there are bunkers under which you can move to avoid their fire. Eventually the bunkers are destroyed by the aliens shooting at them, making the game even more challenging. The sound effects are hauntingly exciting as you play. Although this game was released in 1978, we decided to include it on this list due to its impact on the video game industry. It was so advanced for its time and was almost solely responsible for expanding the video game industry from a novelty to a global industry. It sold 360,000 units of hardware and generated $ 2.7 billion in gross revenue.

1. Pac-Man

This was everyone’s grandfather! What made Pac-Man so popular was its appeal to both genders. While many of the early games involved space and aliens, Pac-Man was a game that almost anyone could enjoy regardless of their interests. It was basically the same concept as Ms. Pac-Man, except it was released before her. The goal was to eat all the marbles and prevent the ghosts from scoring as many points as possible. The ghost’s movements are preset and given its own personality to help keep the game interesting. The red ghost chases Pac-Man and the pink and blue ghosts try to get in front of Pac-Man. The orange ghost, Clyde, chases after Pac-Man but moves to the lower left corner of the screen when he gets too close to him. The game has 255 levels, but a bug in the programming prevents you from going beyond that. Pac-Man is one of the highest grossing games of all time. It has 400,000 units of hardware sold with gross revenue of $ 3.5 billion!