LIFE

4 great Google alternatives

Sven Krumrey

Under the sign of the duck

Everyone on the Internet uses search engines. There's hundreds of them yet 97 percent of all users focus on just three search providers two of which barely scrape the 3% mark. They are Yahoo Search, owned by communications giant Verizon, and Bing, Microsoft's protegé. With 91% market share, Google effectively has a monopoly and holds incredible influence due to the huge amount of data traffic. Yet, we're all aware that Google makes dubious use of our data. Why not switch to providers that better protect our privacy? Here's a list of 4 search engine alternatives!

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LIFE

The end of Facebook as you know it

Sven Krumrey

Facebook's no yet that abandoned

Many of the nearly 2 billion Facebook users may have recently wondered about the new posts they were shown. What before was a colorful blend of friends, general information and hobbies is now (almost exclusively) featuring friends and family. It all sounds nice and social and it cleverly hides how Facebook is slowly increasing the pressure on other site owners. The goal: to make more money! Read on to learn why others have to pay so that you won't get bored.

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LIFE

Welcome to the year 2008! - Windows 10 and data security

Sven Krumrey

They're always watching us

Just when you think you've seen everything - along comes Microsoft and amazes us. By now, it's common knowledge that Windows 10 likes to "phone home", but it's still worth taking a closer look at just how much (or how little) Redmond values data security. Think of it this way, if data security was a limbo pole, Microsoft has just made sure you'll bump your head. We've just gotten new details on how much data is sent by Windows 10 along with the conclusion that we've gone back in time to the year 2008.

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TECH

When hackers step on the brake

Sven Krumrey

K.I.T.T. - My childhood dream

As a child, I loved Knight Rider (it's OK to laugh), the suntanned hotshot Michael Knight and his wonderful car. K.I.T.T. was equipped with artificial intelligence while my dad's car could only signal when it was out of oil and sometimes, it even "forgot" this feature. We've come a long way since then, engineers are now working on self-driving vehicles and modern cars, stuffed with sensors, are more like driving computers. But what was originally intended for better comfort and safety is turning into a security problem.

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TECH

Attack on my bookshelf: Amazon Kindle Voyage 3G

Sven Krumrey

Perhaps the greatest hobby on earth: Reading

Nearly all of us have their holy ritual, their bulwark against the world or the perennial fluctuations that affect our society. For some, it's a model railroad, others have their phonograph record collection. For me, it's books, the ever-lasting constant. Some have been with me for decades, traveled with me on every relocation and are full of tattered and yellowed pages. Others are still in mint condition and awaiting their first read. All that is supposed to change now thanks to technology - at least on a trial basis.

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