Merry Christmas 2023 from the Ashampoo Blog team!

Can the thought of Christmas help in difficult situations? An endless night in the hospital clearly answered this question.

At the end of October, I became very ill. It was the kind of sickness that causes sleepless nights and makes you hesitant to commit to any long-term subscriptions. Since I had to go to a specialized clinic, I was 200 km away from friends and family, and I struggled immensely with this new situation. Even my usually indestructible sense of humor failed me, and I spent days and nights brooding darkly. However, at one point, Spotify unexpectedly played a special song that changed everything – and it was partly due to Christmas.

5 great browser extensions for ChatGPT

ChatGPT is also a great tool for web surfers. Here are 5 browser extensions I use on a daily basis.

The buzz around [ChatGPT](https://blog.ashampoo.com/en/2023-03-10/chatgpt-chances-and-risks) has subsided. What remains is a quite useful tool to auto-create and process texts. Naturally, blog articles, like the one you're reading, are handcrafted with love–but ChatGPT still helps me to save time and effort in my everyday life. Because, the artificial intelligence can do a lot more if you let it! Browser extensions, also called add-ons, yield better search results, sum up entire pages, and even do my internet research for me every now and then! Here are five decent browser extensions that rely on ChatGPT to provide their services.

The buzz around ChatGPT has subsided. What remains is a quite useful tool to auto-create and process texts. Naturally, blog articles, like the one you're reading, are handcrafted with love–but ChatGPT still helps me to save time and effort in my everyday life. Because, the artificial intelligence can do a lot more if you let it! Browser extensions, also called add-ons, yield better search results, sum up entire pages, and even do my internet research for me every now and then! Here are five decent browser extensions that rely on ChatGPT to provide their services.


Shodan: The eeriest search engine on the web

Shodan is arguably the eeriest search engine one the web because it reveals devices that shouldn’t be there!

Do you use a surveillance camera, fitness tracker, or smart lighting? Are your smoke detectors connected to the internet to send status notifications similar to modern security systems? Today, an assumed **50 billion devices are online** to allow for information sharing as well as easy monitoring and controlling. Doesn't this entail a major security risk? Shodan, *the most controversial search engine* on the planet, will tell you.

Do you use a surveillance camera, fitness tracker, or smart lighting? Are your smoke detectors connected to the internet to send status notifications similar to modern security systems? Today, an assumed 50 billion devices are online to allow for information sharing as well as easy monitoring and controlling. Doesn't this entail a major security risk? Shodan, the most controversial search engine on the planet, will tell you.


How much do you pay for your shopping online? That depends!

Do car batteries really cost more in the morning? What about trips booked with an iPhone? On the internet, anything’s possible!

Picture this: As you're walking into a supermarket, you're immediately questioned about your shopping list, address, and cellphone. You answer everything faithfully and a shopping clerk bolts through the store, marking up every product ever so slightly– because you live in a wealthy neighborhood, have the latest iPhone, and are looking for a good wine to go with your dinner tonight. The clerk also makes sure to always move the most expensive items to the front of each display. Sounds weird, right? That's exactly what can happen to you when you're shopping online!

ChatGPT - Chances and risks

Welcome to my blog post about ChatGPT, an impressive yet controversial language model from OpenAI!

"Welcome to my blog about ChatGPT - a cutting-edge language model developed by OpenAI! As an AI language model, ChatGPT has been designed to communicate with humans in natural language and provide informative responses to a wide range of queries. With its advanced capabilities in natural language processing and machine learning, ChatGPT has become one of the most sophisticated and powerful language models available today. In this blog, we will explore the features and functionality of ChatGPT, and delve into the ways in which it can be used to enhance communication and improve knowledge sharing. So if you're curious about ChatGPT and want to learn more about how it can help you achieve your goals, be sure to read on!"

&quot;Welcome to my blog about ChatGPT - a cutting-edge language model developed by OpenAI! As an AI language model, ChatGPT has been designed to communicate with humans in natural language and provide informative responses to a wide range of queries. With its advanced capabilities in natural language processing and machine learning, ChatGPT has become one of the most sophisticated and powerful language models available today. In this blog, we will explore the features and functionality of ChatGPT, and delve into the ways in which it can be used to enhance communication and improve knowledge sharing. So if you're curious about ChatGPT and want to learn more about how it can help you achieve your goals, be sure to read on!&quot;


It's been a year, is Windows 11 now worth it?

It's been little more than a year: What's happening with Windows 11 and is it time to switch/update?

I recently had a pleasant chat with an acquaintance of mine about our jobs and related news. He's a chemist and talked about plastics that remain malleable at specific temperatures and are based on renewable raw materials (it sounded more fascinating in person). My topic was somewhat predictable: **Windows 11!** He had only seen a few screenshots and asked me whether the OS was worth picking up. I was getting ready to refer him to a [previous blog post](https://blog.ashampoo.com/en/2021-08-17/joy-sorrow-and-system-requirements-the-new-windows-11) but decided against it since a year of using the new OS had changed my perspective a little. Time for an update!

I recently had a pleasant chat with an acquaintance of mine about our jobs and related news. He's a chemist and talked about plastics that remain malleable at specific temperatures and are based on renewable raw materials (it sounded more fascinating in person). My topic was somewhat predictable: Windows 11! He had only seen a few screenshots and asked me whether the OS was worth picking up. I was getting ready to refer him to a previous blog post but decided against it since a year of using the new OS had changed my perspective a little. Time for an update!


Return of the tinkerers

A somewhat aged Windows PC refused to join its designated network after each cold start.That  prompted me to do something I hadn't done in a long time: tinker!

A somewhat aged Windows PC recently fell out of favor with me. Following an update, it refused to join its designated network after each cold start, forcing me to do an additional reboot every time. That was aggravating–and prompted me to do something I hadn't done in a long time: **tinker**! It's what made me the PC professional I am today! Here's to *blood, sweat, and tears*–and modest success along the way.

A somewhat aged Windows PC recently fell out of favor with me. Following an update, it refused to join its designated network after each cold start, forcing me to do an additional reboot every time. That was aggravating–and prompted me to do something I hadn't done in a long time: tinker! It's what made me the PC professional I am today! Here's to blood, sweat, and tears–and modest success along the way.


Welcome to the magical land of infinite greed: Diablo Immortal

With the release of “Immortal”, the Diablo franchise abruptly lost its iconic status due to the money sink the game is.

Welcome to the magical land of infinite greed

During my semester break in 1997, *I wasn't as hard-working as I should have been.* Instead of delving into "Wagner as a poet", I rather fought against the demon **Diablo** in the eponymous video game. Hour after hour I brought down grim foes, picked up better equipment, and kept leveling up my character. With a pixel sword in my hand, I merrily butchered my way through gloomy catacombs, and continued to stayed loyal to the franchise when parts 2 and 3 came out. This loyalty now came to an abrupt end with the release of **Diablo Immortal**, a game that easily takes a chunk out of your wallet *the size of a compact car*. Enough is enough!

During my semester break in 1997, I wasn't as hard-working as I should have been. Instead of delving into &quot;Wagner as a poet&quot;, I rather fought against the demon Diablo in the eponymous video game. Hour after hour I brought down grim foes, picked up better equipment, and kept leveling up my character. With a pixel sword in my hand, I merrily butchered my way through gloomy catacombs, and continued to stayed loyal to the franchise when parts 2 and 3 came out. This loyalty now came to an abrupt end with the release of Diablo Immortal, a game that easily takes a chunk out of your wallet the size of a compact car. Enough is enough!


Free VPN for everyone? Not so fast!

Recently, the news broke that Microsoft was adding VPN to their Edge browser. It sounded to good to be true, so I did some research. Turns out, the benevolence is limited.

Recently, the news broke that **Microsoft was adding VPN to their Edge browser**. Naturally, it didn't take long for doubters to weigh in. Why would Microsoft do such a thing? Would the folks in Redmond be able to rise above themselves and put out something cool for the benefit of their users? Offer them a potential way to save money even at the risk of muddling their beloved ad-optimized user profiles? It sounded to good to be true, so I did some research. Turns out, *the benevolence is limited*.

Recently, the news broke that Microsoft was adding VPN to their Edge browser. Naturally, it didn't take long for doubters to weigh in. Why would Microsoft do such a thing? Would the folks in Redmond be able to rise above themselves and put out something cool for the benefit of their users? Offer them a potential way to save money even at the risk of muddling their beloved ad-optimized user profiles? It sounded to good to be true, so I did some research. Turns out, the benevolence is limited.


Limited anonymity: What incognito mode does and doesn't do

Incognito mode is the less prominent backroom in Chrome: People don't talk about it, yet it is heavily frequented. So what does it do–and what not?

Incognito mode is a little like **the smoke-filled backroom of Google Chrome**: You know something is happening there but nobody's talking about it. Officially, Google calls it "private browsing", others prefer "skin show", since the mode is frequently used in conjunction with nudity. And then there are those who just won't do avoid the ubiquitous "Hello XY, here is your personal offer" welcome screens. The truth is, *very few know what incognito mode does under the hood*, yet millions rely on it every day! There's currently a pending lawsuit against Google that could result in a billion dollar fine. Why? Because incognito mode does far less than users think!

Incognito mode is a little like the smoke-filled backroom of Google Chrome: You know something is happening there but nobody's talking about it. Officially, Google calls it &quot;private browsing&quot;, others prefer &quot;skin show&quot;, since the mode is frequently used in conjunction with nudity. And then there are those who just won't do avoid the ubiquitous &quot;Hello XY, here is your personal offer&quot; welcome screens. The truth is, very few know what incognito mode does under the hood, yet millions rely on it every day! There's currently a pending lawsuit against Google that could result in a billion dollar fine. Why? Because incognito mode does far less than users think!


All posts by Sven: