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TrendTechie

May 4, 2025

Understanding Torrents: A Beginner’s Guide

Torrents enable efficient digital file sharing through a peer-to-peer (P2P) system, allowing users to download content from multiple sources simultaneously rather than a single server. This collaborative method enhances download speeds as users share file segments with one another. uTorrent is a tool that facilitates this process by connecting to trackers for peer discovery and managing the downloading and uploading of file pieces. Key terms in the torrenting community include seeding, which is sharing a complete file after downloading, and leeching, which is downloading without sharing. The decentralized nature of torrenting improves file availability and speeds, as all users contribute bandwidth. To optimize uTorrent usage, users should select torrents with a good ratio of seeders to leechers, manage speed settings, and practice seeding etiquette.

Winsage

May 2, 2025

Windows Recall Is Back (but Should You Use It?)

Windows Recall, an AI-driven feature by Microsoft, was initially launched in July but withdrawn due to security and privacy concerns. It has since returned with modifications aimed at improving user experience, although concerns about its functionality persist. Recall captures and analyzes screenshots of user activities to aid in retrieving past documents or messages. Users must have a Copilot+ PC to access Recall, which is not activated by default. Security enhancements include encrypted data storage and mandatory Windows Hello authentication for access. However, issues remain, such as potential access via a computer PIN, inconsistent filtering of sensitive data, and the risk of data being captured from shared devices. Users can exempt specific sites and apps from being captured, but the process is cumbersome.

AppWizard

April 27, 2025

‘Andor,’ ‘You,’ ‘Havoc,’ ‘Babygirl,’ and the best to stream this weekend — plus ‘A Minecraft Movie’ surprise

Andor, the prequel to Rogue One, returns for its second and final season, featuring Diego Luna as Cassian Andor. The 12-episode season will be released in three-episode segments over four weeks. Étoile, a series by Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino, follows two ballet companies struggling financially and is streaming on Prime Video. The Netflix series You returns for its fifth season, with all 10 episodes available for streaming. Brett Goldstein's stand-up special, The Second Best Night of Your Life, airs Saturday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and Max. A24’s film Babygirl, starring Nicole Kidman, is now streaming on Max. Other films available include Havoc on Netflix, Freaky Tales on VOD, Ash on VOD, and Azrael on Hulu. Tombstone, originally released in 1993, has a new 4K Ultra HD version available digitally. A book titled A Minecraft Movie: From Block to Big Screen chronicles the making of the Minecraft movie, available at Amazon and other booksellers.

Winsage

April 24, 2025

Decades-old bug in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas pops out

Microsoft's Windows 11 24H2 update has caused issues for players of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, specifically the disappearance of the seaplane known as the "skimmer." This glitch, which began appearing in November, is not due to the Windows update itself but rather a long-standing error in the game's original coding. The problem arises from the game's vehicles.ide file, where essential parameters for the skimmer were omitted during its transition from Vice City to San Andreas. The update introduced changes in stack handling that affected how the game initialized these parameters, leading to the glitch. Silent, a developer involved in fixing older games, noted that the issue highlights the importance of validating input data and addressing compilation warnings in software development.

AppWizard

April 22, 2025

Google Messages now finally shields you from surprise nudes

Google Messages is introducing smart alerts that automatically blur explicit images before they are viewed by the recipient. This feature is opt-in for adults, while it is enabled by default for teens. Users will receive warnings about potentially explicit images and can choose to view the image, block the sender, or check the reason for the flag. If users send a sensitive image, the app will prompt them with a caution. All processing occurs on the user's device to protect privacy, and the feature currently applies only to still images, not videos.

BetaBeacon

April 8, 2025

Nintendo Switch 2 game-key cards can be shared and resold

Nintendo Switch 2 game-key cards will allow for sharing, reselling, and playing offline. The game-key cards will also allow retailers to sell games that exceed the 64GB storage capacity limit of the Nintendo Switch 2 cartridges.

BetaBeacon

March 31, 2025

Eight of the best Android games available to play on your cellphone

Among Us is a game set aboard an abandoned spaceship where players are part of a crew with some impostors among them. The goal is for the crew to successfully eject the impostors.

AppWizard

March 25, 2025

How to gift a game on Steam

Gifting a game on Steam involves logging into your account, browsing the store for a game, selecting it, choosing the 'Purchase as a Gift' option, picking a recipient from your friends list or entering their email, adding a personalized message, and completing the purchase. Steam has over 100,000 titles available for gifting.

BetaBeacon

November 6, 2024

Here are some fun multiplayer games for Android

Star Wars: Hunters is a free-to-play arena combat game set after the fall of the Galactic Empire, with new characters and locations inspired by classic Star Wars settings. It takes place between Star Wars: Episode VI and Episode VII on the planet Vespaara, where players must be strategic in choosing and customizing their Hunter. The game is available on Android, iOS, and Nintendo Switch.

AppWizard

November 3, 2024

A New Era in Gaming: ‘Minecraft’ Clone Is Generated by AI in Real-Time

Oasis is an AI-generated game developed by the hardware startup Etched, in collaboration with AI developer Decart. It allows players to create and modify virtual environments in real time and is inspired by the sci-fi narrative “Ready Player One.” The demo was showcased on Twitter, and it operates on Nvidia’s H100 Tensor Core GPUs, with plans for Etched's own chipset, Sohu, which will offer faster performance. The project is currently free and serves as a research and proof-of-concept initiative. Interest in the demo has surged, overwhelming the hosting site. The technology behind Oasis relies on AI to produce graphics in real time without a traditional game engine.