How to enable secret conversations in Messenger

Messenger's Secret Conversation feature enables end-to-end encryption for your chats so that no one can intercept and read them. The option is only available on Android, iPhone and iPad. Here's how to enable it: Open Messenger on your phone. Tap the compose button in the upper right corner.

Enable lock toggle at the top. Tap on a contact you want to have a conversation with and start sending messages. Secret Conversations are separate from normal chats, the app creates another chat thread with the same person. A lock button icon below the contact's profile picture distinguishes it from normal chats. Your chat is restricted to the device you initiated it on.

You can view your secret conversations like any other message; just choose it from the list of open message threads on the main screen of the Messenger app. There will be a lock symbol next to the contact name, which indicates that it’s not a regular chat.

Remember that you will only be able to view hidden Facebook messages that were created on that particular device. If you send a secret message on your Android or iOS device, you won’t be able to view them on your laptop or tablet.

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English - India's most-used social media language, but it keeps out rural women

According to Meta, English is the dominant language used online by Indian women, but it has limited rural women's access to social media. 91 per cent of female users in India use English, followed by 6 per cent who use Hindi and 1 per cent, Bengali. "Women from urban areas constitute the major portion of social media users. Upper class women in urban areas are more aware about data privacy and cyber security compared to those from low-income backgrounds or rural areas.

Currently, online communication and content is in English with an absence of regional languages. Such women can't read terms and conditions of social media use, privacy updates and other app updates in English, which is stopping them from meaningfully accessing social media platforms."

The insight comes from a Meta tool called Facebook Audience Insights, a feature meant for businesses to improve target content and advertise to users. The findings come from "secondary research", including sources such as news reports, and research from universities. The results are supported by "select one-on-one interviews" with women who are journalists, domestic workers, online urban entrepreneurs, "urban and rural homemakers", and university students.

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What is Toucan website?

Toucan helps you learn a new language while browsing the internet. When you visit a website, Toucan automatically converts certain words into the language you want to learn. Mouse over the word to see it in your original language, play the audio for pronunciation or save it in a personal dictionary. This way, you learn words in your new language within the context of a language you're already comfortable with. Tap the checkmark icon if you already know a word, and Toucan shows you other words. New words and more complex phrases are introduced as your skills improve. Assess your vocabulary skills with quizzes and mini-games. The feature 'Own a Word' sees your name appear for a week anytime the word is translated. You can opt to pause translations on a specific site. Toucan comes as a free extension for Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge browsers.

The startup was founded by CEO Taylor Nieman, CTO Shaun Merritt and CPO Brandon Dietz. Today, it’s announcing that it has raised $3 million in seed funding led by GSV Ventures, with participation from Amplifyher Ventures, Wonder Ventures, Golden Ventures, Halogen Ventures, Vitalize Ventures and strategic angel investors.

Nieman’s past roles include business development roles at Headspace (where Dietz was a senior product manager), startup studio Science and car leasing startup Fair.com (where Merritt was an iOS developer). She told me that one thing she learned from across all those experiences is “habit formation — how hard it actually is to do anything that steals people’s time.”

Dietz made a similar point, arguing that while language learning software like Rosetta Stone and Duolingo has had its share of success, “It’s just such a high ask to get people to change their behavior and go to this one website,” particularly on a daily basis.

Credit : Tech Crunch 

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This smart, solar-powered bicycle helmet keeps you safe

Wearing the ESUB Tracks Helmet is like having eyes at the back of your head! German design firm Werteloberfell's helmet uses technology to let you know when a vehicle is approaching from behind. It is covered with flat-printed, organic photovoltaic cells that soak up the sun and recharge the batteries, powering all electronic components including proximity sensors that monitor the area behind you.

If a vehicle is approaching from behind, the helmet's haptic patches vibrate to warn you. Its built-in microphone picks up voice commands. Turning right? Let the helmet know, and it will illuminate an indicator light on the back to signal vehicles behind you. Bone conduction speakers on the straps conduct sound to the inner ear primarily through the bones of the skull, so that you can hear audio content without blocking the ear canal, and still be aware of your surroundings.

An electric drive fastens the straps of the chin buckle until the helmet sits safely on your head. The helmet connects to smartphones via Bluetooth.

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What is Goodmind - Daily Affirmations app?

Goodmind is a daily positive affirmation app that helps you let go of negative thoughts and rediscover happiness. It comes with more than 15,000 affirmations across 36 categories like mindfulness, gratitude, health, self-confidence, happiness, etc.

Choose your favourite one each day or just let them appear at random. Set reminders of your choice for a positivity-filled day and share your favourite affirmations with others. Affirmations are positive commands meant to shape thought patterns with repetition, thereby releasing your potential and changing your life for the better. Free for iOS.

Learn to let go of negative thoughts with the help of Goodmind. Negative feelings can be draining and take up space in your mind, but they don't have to stay there forever. Learn how you are shaping what's happening around yourself by changing this one habit- what we think about instead owning our realities! The human brain can be rewired through simple habits. Start with focusing on few subjects and move onto different areas in life as you progress, but don't forget about what got your started!

You're becoming more confident in making decisions. Watch as your ability to handle difficult situations seems to grow and evolve with every passing day, until one day you find yourself fully capable of handling anything that comes at you! You have a choice in how you're feeling. You can wake up on the wrong side of bed, or with happy thoughts running through your head and a smile plastered across that gorgeous face of yours! 

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LinkedIn launches support for Hindi language

Hindi will be the first Indian regional language on professional network LinkedIn, supporting 600 million Hindi language speakers globally. With 82 million members, India is the second largest market for LinkedIn after the U.S. Members will be able to access their feed, profile, jobs, messaging, and create content in Hindi on their desktops, Android and iOS phones.

User-generated content will be displayed in the language they were originally created in. Those with Hindi as their primary language will be able to see Hindi translations by clicking on the 'See Translation' option. For users with Hindi as their preferred language on their smartphones, LinkedIn will automatically be available in Hindi. Desktop users can click on the 'Me' profile icon at the top of the LinkedIn homepage, click on 'Language' and then select 'Hindi' from the dropdown list.

The steps to change the language to Hindi are given in the Help Centre, LinkedIn said. Basically, for mobile apps on Android and iOS, the app’s language would be the same as the language set for the device. This means that in order to see the LinkedIn app in Hindi, users would have to go to decide settings and change their preferred language to Hindi, and the LinkedIn app will change the language automatically.

For desktop versions, however, users would need to select the ‘Me’ icon located at the top-right corner of the interface. Following this, they would have to go to Settings & Privacy tab, and then to Account Preferences. They would then need to go to the Site Preferences tab and go to Language.

By selecting Hindi here, users will see the user interface and LinkedIn content like navigation bar in Hindi, but any user-generated content like user posts would be visible in the language that they were created in. These posts, however, will have the option of translating them to Hindi.

New users would be able to go to the LinkedIn website and register for a new account. Moreover, existing users would also have the option to display their profile in Hindi as well by creating a second language profile using the desktop version, by going to ‘Me’, and then ‘View Profile’ where they would see the option – ‘Add profile in another language’.

Credit : Financial Express

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Older, younger internet users targeted using different online threats

Internet users from different age groups are victims to different types of cyberattacks depending on their usage and primary device used to go online, according to cybersecurity firm Avast. The firm surveyed over 16,000 online users across age groups in 17 countries including India, USA, Russia and Australia.

Users aged above 65 mainly use their desktop computers or laptops to go online which makes them susceptible to ransomware, tech support scams, spyware and botnets that can be accidentally or unknowingly downloaded or accessed via links in emails or through malicious websites.

Majority of users aged 18-44 use smartphones to go online, making them targets of adware, mobile banking Trojans, SMS scams and even TikTok and Instagram malware.

“Different generations may see the internet with different eyes and have different online experiences, which is something to keep in mind when having conversations about online safety at home,” the report added.

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What games are on an Infinity table?

Love board games but running out of place to store them? Infinity Game Table from ArcadelUp is for you. The Wi-Fi-enabled, 1920 x 1080-pixel touchscreen tablet comes in 24" and 32" versions with legs, and packs around 40 digital versions of classic board games like Monopoly, Scrabble, Battleship, Operation and Sorry! in single and multiplayer options. Table's legs can be removed to convert it into a tabletop gadget. Each player has a personalized perspective, based on their position at the table. Animations and sound effects plus haptic feedback provide immersive gameplay.

Table has 16 GB of storage, a microSD card slot for expansion and a rechargeable built-in battery. It is impact- and water-resistant, so it's safe to set beverages on the bezel area around the touchscreen.

It's well built, and better yet, the IGT is impact- and water-resistant, so it’s safe to set drinks on the large bezel area around the touchscreen. Once plugged in and set up, you bring it to life by tapping the top. Sadly, finger smudges quickly mar the look, so it requires regular cleaning with a microfiber cloth.

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