The new M1 Apple Silicon Macs come with only 8GB RAM as standard, and yet they seem to perform as well as an Intel Mac with 16GB RAM or more. What’s happening? Can you really run Lightroom, or Logic Pro, or Final Cut, or even non-optimized apps like Ableton Live, in 8GB? Is Apple’s least expensive Mac, the MacBook Air, really capable of high-end professional work? It is. And a lot of that is down to some extremely clever use of memory....

Gray is the co-founder and CEO of WeatherCheck, developer of an online platform used to monitor housing properties for damages caused by hail and other major weather events. He launched the company 3 1/2 years ago, after working in an operations role at a roofing company specializing in insurance-related losses. “I saw there was a real challenge for policyholders who didn’t understand what was going on when weather events impacted them,” Gray told Lifewire in a phone interview....

Which YouTube Channels Have Memberships? The YouTube Memberships feature isn’t available on all channels. To gain access to this feature, a channel must be in the YouTube Partner Program, have more than 30,000 subscribers, and have zero policy strikes. YouTube Memberships are limited to specific regions and must be manually turned on by the channel owner once they become eligible. It’s an optional feature. How Can I Tell if a YouTube Channel Uses Memberships?...

Announced during E3 2019 under the name of Gods and Monsters, Immortals Fenyx Rising was delayed from February 2020 until December 2020, leaving it stuck in that somewhat dead slot that follows the big release schedule of October and November (including the somewhat similar but grittier Assassin’s Creed Valhalla). December is the time when everyone has spent their money and already considered what their games of the year will be, and there it is—Immortals Fenyx Rising—ready to be loved, yet ultimately tossed aside once you’re all done with it....

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed a bill requiring internet service providers (ISPs) to offer more affordable internet options to low-income families throughout the state. The new bill will allow struggling families to get the digital access they need for as little as $15 a month. If successful, experts believe this push for better low-cost internet could lead to other states following suit. “I think policymakers will watch closely [to see if] this is providing benefits to people....

Zach Sutton, photographer and writer of the Lens Rentals blog, knows a thing or two about breaking and fixing cameras. People often don’t realize just how the choices they make can damage their cameras. So, we decided to ask some professional photographers how they break their gear and how they look after it. The result may surprise you. “In my 10+ years of experience photographing professionally and reviewing lenses for Shotkit, I find that while metal is certainly more resilient to small bumps and knocks than plastic, it doesn’t absorb a big hit (like a drop) as well as a plastic lens—instead, it transfers the force of the impact to the glass elements inside the lens, which, typically, cannot be repaired easily,” Mark Condon, photographer, and CEO and founder of Shotkit, told Lifewire via email....

Samsung has announced the Galaxy Quantum 2, its second phone to feature built-in quantum cryptography technology. It includes a chip that claims to be the world’s smallest quantum random number generator, and works by capturing random noise with an LED and a CMOS image sensor. The Quantum 2 is part of the growing use of quantum technology to speed up computing and potentially make unbreakable codes. “Quantum cryptography will be the encryption standard necessary for securing our data, communications and our devices in the future,” Attila Tomaschek, a researcher at ProPrivacy, said in an email interview....

Samsung’s Jet Bot AI+ $1,299 robotic vacuum is now available for purchase. It’s the world’s first robot vacuum powered by an Intel AI solution and equipped with an active stereo-type 3D sensor. The Jet Bot also has object recognition, so it hopefully won’t confuse your socks with a dust bunny. “From lidar technology to artificial intelligence and sonic mopping, the advances in robotic cleaning are continuing to evolve to automate the entire cleaning experience,” Richard Chang, the CEO of Roborock, a company that develops robot vacuums, told Lifewire in an email interview....

How to Access Samsung Cloud on a Samsung Galaxy Samsung Cloud is a free backup service available for most Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets. While it’s capable of storing large amounts of data, Samsung Cloud isn’t intended to be an online space for uploading, sharing, and downloading files. Instead, Samsung Cloud makes it possible to quickly retrieve device settings and data if you lose your device or need to do a factory reset because the device has stopped working, To get started using Samsung Cloud on your Samsung Galaxy device:...

How to Avoid Boot Sector Viruses The first sector of a hard drive is called the boot sector and contains the Master Boot Record (MBR). The MBR contains the information concerning the location of partitions on the drive and reading of the bootable operating system partition and is responsible for loading the remainder of the operating system. A boot sector virus is one that infects the first sector—the boot sector—of a removable or hard drive....

Division in Excel Here are some important points to remember about Excel formulas: Formulas begin with the equal sign ( = ). The equal sign goes in the cell where you want the answer to display. The division symbol is the forward slash ( / ). The formula is completed by pressing the Enter key on the keyboard. Use Cell References in Formulas Although it is possible to enter numbers directly into a formula, it’s better to enter the data into worksheet cells and then use cell references as demonstrated in the example below....

Set Up Accessibility Settings on a Chromebook This tutorial explains each accessibility option, walks you through the process of enabling them, and shows you how to install additional features. Text-to-Speech The Text-to-Speech section contains three options for visually impaired users that speak text on the screen. These are: Enable ChromeVox: An integrated screen reader built on open-source web technologies. ChromeVox makes it easier for visually impaired users to browse website content using audio feedback....

Researching what people are searching for on the web is a great way to keep up with popular buzz, figure out what people are looking for and give it to them on your blog or website, and understand what trends might be coming up. Below are some of the best methods. Google Trends Google is one of the most visited websites in the world, so finding the most searched items on Google is the single best way to know what people are searching for....

No matter which Magic Mouse generation you use, you can get the best performance from your wireless mouse. If you need help with Magic Mouse tracking errors, there’s a fix for that, too. Fix First-Generation Magic Mouse Bluetooth Disconnects There can be several reasons for a Magic Mouse to drop the Bluetooth connection, but the most common reason is a loose battery terminal contact inside the Magic Mouse. The Magic Mouse’s battery compartment has what appears to be a weak design for the battery contacts....

How to Know If Your System Is Infected Your Mac’s behavior offers clues that it’s been infected. For example, the machine runs slower than usual, its fans run constantly, it stops responding, or it suddenly reboots. If you find browser extensions, toolbars, or plug-ins you didn’t install, notice third-party applications you never asked for, or your browser’s settings have mysteriously changed, malware is probably the culprit. An adware infection reveals itself with unexpected ads and pop-ups on your desktop, browser home page, or other websites you visit....

Wishing on stars will get you star fragments in return, which are coveted materials in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Meeting Celeste A starry-eyed owl named Celeste is a mainstay in the Animal Crossing series, and in New Horizons, she’ll appear on your island on random days. Expect to see Celeste wandering about after 7 PM local time, and should she be present, a meteor shower will likely occur that night....

Opening an AVC File That’s a Kaspersky Virus Database File A file with the AVC file extension is most likely a database file that the Kaspersky antivirus software uses to store information regarding updates to the program. They’re normally named with an update number, like base008.avc. You can’t and won’t have to open these AVC files. They’re not files you’d open deliberately, like opening a document or another readily usable file....

This method isn’t the fastest or most efficient overclock possible, but it’s safe, simple, and a good way to get your feet wet in the sometimes overwhelming world of overclocking. The benefits of overclocking will depend on how you use your computer. If you’re a video editor, overclocking RAM won’t make video editing much easier. But if you play many modern video games, overclocking can be a meaningful way to increase your FPS....

The Three Types of LG Phone Resets When your smartphone freezes, runs extremely slowly, or otherwise appears to be having problems normal methods can’t solve, a reset might be the way to get it functioning again. LG phones have three options for resetting them: A soft reset, a hard reset, and a software factory reset. A soft reset is also called a restart. It’s a safer version of turning your device off, then turning it back on again....

How to Turn on Google Assistant on Chromebook To activate Google Assistant on Chromebook, you’ll just need to enable it inside your Chromebook settings. However, it’s important that you also customize Google Assistant so you can have the service work exactly the way you would like. Customize Google Assistant Settings To customize your Google Assistant experience, it’s important to set up individual settings. These settings, according to Google, allow the app to “individualize” your Assistant experience....