Ashampoo Blog 10 year anniversary: What changed, what remains

2015 wasn't that long ago, was it? Looking back on ten years of Ashampoo Blog, it feels very different!

When the colleagues from our web department asked me if I was going to write an anniversary blog, I honestly had no idea what they were talking about. Ten minutes later, I was wiser and realized: 10 years, 235 blog posts, and 7 million views–not bad! Sounds like a good reason to look back at old tech, surprising developments, and topics that never seem to get old.

Merry Christmas 2024 from the Ashampoo Blog team!

You can't force the Christmas spirit, but sometimes an old 1984 movie on VHS does the trick!

The pre-Christmas season often isn't as magical as one might hope. When the days grow shorter, wetter, and colder, and neither a cozy feeling nor any real excitement settles in, Christmas can feel more like the next big project–just another task to prepare, execute, and check off the list. But every now and then, that special feeling sneaks up on you, catching you by surprise–like when you’re simply searching for holiday decorations.

Imperfect photos: Soon a thing of the past?

The world isn't perfect, so why should our photos be? Modern cameras and editing apps give us all the tools to cheat, but should we?

When managers start chatting freely, you sometimes learn interesting things. Isaac Reynolds, a product manager at Google and "head of photos," recently philosophized about the present and future of digital photography. While I thought it was about capturing the deepest night or minimizing digital noise, his thoughts went in a completely different direction. According to Reynolds, representing reality will no longer be the top priority. Instead, the aim is to create images based on customer expectations, not on the technical limitations of their cameras. With a shift from image processing to image creation, accurately depicting the moment becomes secondary–but is that really the right approach?

When managers start chatting freely, you sometimes learn interesting things. Isaac Reynolds, a product manager at Google and &quot;head of photos,&quot; recently philosophized about the present and future of digital photography. While I thought it was about capturing the deepest night or minimizing digital noise, his thoughts went in a completely different direction. According to Reynolds, representing reality will no longer be the top priority. Instead, the aim is to create images based on customer expectations, not on the technical limitations of their cameras. With a shift from image processing to image creation, accurately depicting the moment becomes secondary–but is that really the right approach?


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.

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!

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!


What's YouTube Premium and is it any good?

Do you know what YouTube Premium is about? I wanted to know what you get for $11.99.

When it comes to viewership, YouTube still rules the roost in the streaming world, far ahead of Netflix or Spotify–and still free. I had a strange feeling when *advertising segments were starting to pile up* in their videos last year. Who wants to view a four-minute video when they first have to go through two minutes of ads? Was this a deliberate attempt to annoy their users? Unless you were using ad blockers, you were literally flooded–and it felt like an **obvious attempt to drive users towards a paid offer**.

When it comes to viewership, YouTube still rules the roost in the streaming world, far ahead of Netflix or Spotify–and still free. I had a strange feeling when advertising segments were starting to pile up in their videos last year. Who wants to view a four-minute video when they first have to go through two minutes of ads? Was this a deliberate attempt to annoy their users? Unless you were using ad blockers, you were literally flooded–and it felt like an obvious attempt to drive users towards a paid offer.


"Have you heard? WhatsApp is offline!"

It was supposed to be a totally normal evening. And then, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram were down–and the internet was aflame.

It was supposed to be a totally normal evening. Alan Parson's soothing "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" was purring from my speakers, a steaming cup of tea plus some reading material were ready and I had plans to watch a detective show. But then, I heard an almost forgotten sound: an **SMS notification**. Nowadays, this form of communication is mostly used by the authorities or companies for account verification. Sent by a friend, it read "*WhatsApp is gone, Facebook is gone, people are already asking what's next! It's total chaos!*" It sounded interesting so I went to have a look.

It was supposed to be a totally normal evening. Alan Parson's soothing &quot;Tales of Mystery and Imagination&quot; was purring from my speakers, a steaming cup of tea plus some reading material were ready and I had plans to watch a detective show. But then, I heard an almost forgotten sound: an SMS notification. Nowadays, this form of communication is mostly used by the authorities or companies for account verification. Sent by a friend, it read &quot;WhatsApp is gone, Facebook is gone, people are already asking what's next! It's total chaos!&quot; It sounded interesting so I went to have a look.


Where I can watch the series? On a different channel in a different country!

Streaming has become an affordable alternative for series and movie lovers. However, illegal sites have been seeing an increase in visitors for some time now–and many hold streaming service providers partly responsible!

Recently, we sat together and reminisced about the wild past. When the internet was still young, pirated copies of current movies were everywhere. People usually brought hidden cameras to theaters and recorded the screens–background noise and poor image quality included! *Who'd ever want to watch that?* Then, streaming services appeared on the scene and illegal movie sharing sites became less frequented. For a fair price, users could instantly pick from a solid selection of movies and songs, good enough for most users. For some time though, illegal sites have been seeing an increase in visitors–and stream service providers **may be partly to blame**!

Recently, we sat together and reminisced about the wild past. When the internet was still young, pirated copies of current movies were everywhere. People usually brought hidden cameras to theaters and recorded the screens–background noise and poor image quality included! Who'd ever want to watch that? Then, streaming services appeared on the scene and illegal movie sharing sites became less frequented. For a fair price, users could instantly pick from a solid selection of movies and songs, good enough for most users. For some time though, illegal sites have been seeing an increase in visitors–and stream service providers may be partly to blame!


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