MashBlur

Excitement among gadget fans is reaching fever pitch for the new Samsung Galaxy S9 smartphone .
And it turns out they won't have long to wait.
The premium new phone is set to go head-to-head with Apple's £999 iPhone X and, according to an interview with the president of Samsung's mobile business, it's coming soon.
DJ Koh confirmed in an interview with ZDNet the Samsung Galaxy S9 (and a larger S9 Plus version) will be launched at a trade show in February.



The biggest mobile phone trade event in February is the Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona that runs from February 26 to March 1, 2018.
It's not much of a surprise as Samsung has released previous handsets in the Galaxy S range at special "Unpacked" announcements at the tech showcase.
Last year's Samsung Galaxy S8 was unveiled at MWC 2017 and went on sale in April. Chances are that the Galaxy S9 will follow the same pattern.

Online dating is officially mainstream. "We met on Tinder" is the new "we met at a bar." Countless children have been born whose parents met on Match.com. According to a survey conducted by popular wedding planning site The Knot, online dating is the most popular way that currently engaged couples met, up 5% in just two years.


With so many options, it can be hard to know where to find the best crop of potential mates. Each of the dating apps out there has features that will matter differently to you depending on your lifestyle, what you want, and what's most important to you.
Whether you're looking for something super specific or have tried every app on the market, this handy guide breaks down what the deal is with each of these online dating experiences and who it's best suited for. Good luck out there!





Why it's awesome:
Let's just get this one out of the way. If you're thinking of dating apps, you're thinking of Tinder. They pioneered the now-ubiquitous swiping function, revolutionizing the world of online dating. What started out as strictly a hookup app has turned into one of the biggest matchmakers in the world.  Get it here: iTunes | Google Play



Who it's for:
Those wary of being catfished. Why it's awesome: Zoosk makes sure that its users are who they say they are by requiring a video selfie as verification. That doesn't mean you can't include that selfie you took that time with the insanely good lighting, but it does mean you're less likely to be scammed. That's the idea, anyway.
Get it here: Zoosk.com



Who it's for:
Picky people looking for something super specific. Why it's awesome: Instead of picking from an endless pool of profiles, Elite Singles lets you pick out exactly what you're looking for. There are separate pools based on location, religion, ethnicity, age, and sexual orientation. You can even break it down by profession if, for example, you only want to date teachers.
Get it here: EliteSingles.com



Who it's for:
People who trust experience over gimmicks.  Why it's awesome: As one of the first online dating sites launched in 1995, Match has decades of data to back up their their algorithms. Match loves to brag about their success stories on social media, providing you endless inspiration when your dating life looks grim.
Get it here: Match.com



Who it's for:
Marriage-minded people ready to settle down. Why it's awesome: eharmony uses a comprehensive relationship questionnaire to match you with people based on your long-term compatibility. Their explicit goal is to "create more
meaningful connections that lead to fulfilling marriages," so if that's your goal as well this is the site for you. Get 30% off a 6-month membership at eharmony.com with code EHLOVE or 15% off 12-month membership at eharmony.com with code HARMONY12.
Get it here: eharmony.com



Who it's for:
Bold ladies who like to make the first move. Why it's awesome: In an attempt to correct one of the common complaints of dating apps — that women get spammed with tons of creepy messages — women are required to message first with Bumble. It also takes the pressure off of dudes who feel like they need to start the conversation every time. (Obviously with same-sex matches, either party can start things off.) Matches expire after 24 hours so you can't agonize over that opening line for too long.
Get it here: iTunes | Google Play



Who it's for:
Aspiring matchmakers or coupled up folks who missed the boat on dating apps and want to see what all the fuss is about. Why it's awesome: You're signed up for the app by a wingman (or wingwoman) who gets to find matches for you. It's essentially the online equivalent of "have you met my friend?" The genius of Wingman is that it takes the work out of online dating for you, and lets your non-single friends take a crack at it. This opens up a whole new market that dating apps have been missing.
Get it here: iTunes | Google Play



Who it's for:
Misanthropes looking for someone to complain to/with. Why it's awesome: Hater is a hilarious concept that might actually work. The app simply matches you with people who hate the same things as you. In the words of Mashblur Cassie Murdoch, it "lets you drop that idealized, perky version of yourself you’ve been putting in all your profiles and lets you show off your inner crank instead."
Get it here: Have a download link sent to your phone via Haterdater.com



Who it's for:
Men seeking men. Why it's awesome: Grindr has been the go-to dating app for gay and bi men since 2009. After launching Into, a new LGBTQ publication, they're also the creators of one of the most interesting digital magazines on the internet, according to Mashblur MJ Franklin. Now you really can say you're just on Grindr for the articles.
Get it here: iTunes | Google Play

 

Who it's for:
Trekkies, Potterheads, Whovians, gamers, cosplayers, and shippers of all fandoms. Why it's awesome: Those whose dating lives have to make room for their D&D schedules and would rather talk about Westeros politics than Trump's tweets might not have as much luck on mainstream apps like Tinder. Cuddli lets you geek out without shame. Users choose icons based on their passions, giving you the perfect icebreaker.
Get it here: iTunes | Google Play



Who it's for:
Career-motivated singles looking for an equally ambitious partner. Why it's awesome: The exclusive app screens based on educational and professional history in order to ensure that their dating pool is full of "intelligent, educated and ambitious" singles. To keep your work life separate from your dating life (and ensure your privacy), The League keeps your LinkedIn Connections and Facebook friends out of your queue. While it's been slammed as elitist, The League CEO Amanda Bradford claims it's actually a way for "alpha females" to find someone who celebrates and supports their drive.
Get it here: iTunes | Google Play

The recently discovered vulnerability in Intel chips that paves the way for two dangerous exploits — Meltdown and Spectre — is worrisome for nearly every computer user. But for many people, their computers aren't only the place where they store data, they're also their personal banks.
Bitcoin and other popular cryptocurrencies are often stored in wallets — programs that allow owners to access their coins as well as send and receive them. And these wallets, in nearly all their forms, are also in danger.

Simply put, since Meltdown and Spectre can theoretically be used to steal your data, that means they can also be used to steal your cryptocurrency private keys — and that's typically all an attacker would need to empty your wallet.
All PC and mobile users, regardless if they hold Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency, should most definitely upgrade their operating systems and browsers to the latest versions. We have an overview of the steps you can undertake to protect yourself from these vulnerabilities here.
But if you're dealing with cryptocurrencies, there are a couple of additional things you should know.
The world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase, has outlined what the Intel vulnerability means for its users in a blog post on Friday.
The company claims it has prepared for all sorts of possible attacks — be it an attack on its virtual machines running on Amazon Web Services or any other computers in its network.
"We evaluated the impact to Coinbase and we worked closely with AWS to ensure that all of the hosts running our workloads were patched and, as we continue to cycle those workloads, we don’t migrate to unpatched hosts. This effectively mitigates the risk of a cross-VM attack on our systems. We are also patching all of our base operating systems to further mitigate the risk of this vulnerability being used to escalate privilege by an attacker who can gain access through other means," the post said.
As for the steps users should take, they include the ones listed above (patching your OS and browser), and Coinbase also suggests users to store their coins in Vaults, which are a feature on Coinbase that makes your funds a lot more secure than storing them on a trading account.
Popular open-source Ethereum wallet, MyEtherWallet, issued a short warning on Twitter as well.

When was the last time you went beyond the first page of Google search results? Can't remember? Almost no one else does either. According to a 2014 study, the click-through rate (CTR) for page one results is 71%, while pages two and three have a combined rate of a mere 6%. Just imagine how low the CTR is for the subsequent pages.
Unfortunately, there's no magic recipe for guaranteed ranking domination. It takes blood, sweat, tears, and a hardcore SEO tool to rise on top of the search results ladder. What in the world is SEO, you ask? It stands for "Search Engine Optimization," and in layman's terms, it's the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your site through keyword tagging, writing content, link building, and a slew of other techniques.

For your site to attain the coveted first-page search engine real estate, you must roll up your sleeves and do some serious optimization. And to make things a whole lot easier, make SE Ranking your SEO sidekick. It's an all-in-one SEO platform for any project, any level, and any budget. It will help you with essential tasks like keyword grouping and competitor comparison, while also offering unbeatable features that can't be found on any other SEO service, such as creating a comprehensive marketing plan and providing SEO ROI forecasts.
With SE Ranking, you can audit as many pages as you need while receiving actionable recommendations right off the bat so that you can continuously improve your website master plan. It also detects any changes on any pages — yours, your clients', and your competitors' — giving you the heads up to react timely and modify your site's content.
A lifetime subscription to this SEO service usually costs $840, but you can get it on sale for just $49.99 — a 94% savings.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — If Cam Heyward’s being honest, he’s lost count of distractions the Pittsburgh Steelers have dealt with this season, be they self-created, overblown or otherwise.
The weeks would pass and something that had nothing to do with Pittsburgh’s relatively easy push to a second straight AFC North title and third in four years would pop up. There was running back Le’Veon Bell’s decision to skip training camp . Antonio Brown’s one-sided bout with a water cooler in Baltimore in October. Or rookie wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster’s stolen bike . Or Martavis Bryant’s ill-timed and ultimately ignored trade request.



The list goes on and on. Yet at nearly every turn, the outside noise would be drowned out for three hours every week while the Steelers put together a 13-3 record, a fourth consecutive playoff appearance and a first-round postseason bye. Even a well-deserved week off didn’t pass quietly, with offensive coordinator Todd Haley limping around after getting hurt during an incident at a bar near Heinz Field shortly after Pittsburgh wrapped up the regular season with a victory over Cleveland.
Yawn.
“I think we’ve shunned it to an extent to where it doesn’t really faze us,” Heyward said. “I couldn’t even tell you all the drama that goes on. I think we’re so focused and goal-oriented when it comes to certain things, we haven’t had time to think about the little stuff. We make fun of the petty stuff. We’ll laugh at the stuff that happens.”

Maybe, but not all chaos is created equal. For a locker room that describes itself as close-knit, there was a moment of doubt. It came in the tunnel at brutally hot Soldier Field on Sept. 24. President Donald Trump’s provocative suggestion that NFL players who protest the national anthem should be fired put the Steelers in a tight spot.
Head coach Mike Tomlin told his players they could do what they wanted, so long as they were united. After failing to reach a consensus, they tried to sit it out by remaining in the tunnel as “The Star-Spangled Banner” played.
One problem: left tackle Alejandro Villanueva, a former Army Ranger, ducked onto the field to get a glimpse of the flag. The opening notes began before Villanueva could get back to the tunnel. He turned to face the flag, standing alone and unintentionally providing a stark visual symbol of an issue that in many ways defined the NFL’s season.
Linebacker Arthur Moats called the aftermath, which left some fans burning their jerseys and included Villanueva, Heyward and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger trying to explain how they “botched” the whole thing, the “lowest point you could get.”
“It was just a lot of factors that went into it,” Moats said. “It made it stressful.”
Ultimately, though, it didn’t divide the Steelers.
“That was something no one had ever experienced,” Heyward said. “That’s something that no one could have prepared for. I thought we handled it good internally after the situation. We got some stuff cleared out and understood it wasn’t the right way to approach it. But we learned. We lived through it.”
And they thrived. The Steelers fell to 2-1 after getting steamrolled in overtime by the Bears that afternoon. Pittsburgh lost just two games the rest of the way. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger emerged from an early funk to reach his sixth Pro Bowl. Brown led the NFL in yards receiving despite missing the final 2 ½ games with a left calf injury the team hopes will be healed in time for the conference semifinals. Bell’s decision to skip camp ended up saving his legs. A year after watching most of an AFC title game loss to New England with a groin worn down by a heavy workload, Bell is fresh.

Since Donald Trump's inauguration, there have been countless calls for him to be banned from Twitter. As well as concerns that his often rash and bombastic statements could cause diplomatic nightmares nationally and internationally, there have also been suggestions that his particularly aggressive tone and threats violate Twitter's policies.
But Twitter has consistently refused to either ban the US president or remove his more controversial tweets -- despite doing the same with other users. Now the company has taken steps to explain why this in. In essence, it's because Trump -- and other world leaders -- have been granted a special status.

In a blog post, Twitter acknowledges -- without ever making direct reference to Donald Trump himself -- that there is a great deal of interest in the activities of "political figures and world leaders" on the platform. The company says that people in such positions "play a critical role in that conversation because of their outsized impact on our society."
The post goes on to say that removing such a user, or their tweets -- even if they would constitute a policy violation for ordinary users -- would stifle debate and stem the flow of information:

Blocking a world leader from Twitter or removing their controversial Tweets would hide important information people should be able to see and debate. It would also not silence that leader, but it would certainly hamper necessary discussion around their words and actions.

Twitter insists that it is trying to be the best platform on which to "freely discuss" topics; users who have been banned might well disagree. Despite having clearly taken partisan decisions in the past, Twitter says that it is not biased:

We review Tweets by leaders within the political context that defines them, and enforce our rules accordingly. No one person's account drives Twitter's growth, or influences these decisions. We work hard to remain unbiased with the public interest in mind.

While there have been endless protests calling for Trump to be removed from Twitter -- with many citing global safety and political stability as reasons for wanting to rein him in -- it seems these protests have fallen, and will continue to fall, on deaf ears.

 

Michigan one of a handful of driverless hubs