Technology

How to look better in selfies and group photos

Published

2 years ago

March 8, 2022

Press Room

Couple On Highway Journey Sit On Convertible Automotive Taking Selfie (iStock)

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When’s the final time you checked out a photograph of your self and thought, “Dang, I’m so extremely handsome!” You’re not alone. Let me assist.

Eliminate your “turkey neck”

It’s not simply you. Cameras can exaggerate sure options and offer you a special look than what you see within the mirror. That is why you should be strategic once you pose.

Take into consideration what’s closest and farthest away from the digicam. Say you place your foot out and lean again: Your foot goes to look bigger because it’s nearer to the digicam.

You need to use this know-how to your benefit. To attenuate neck fats and further pores and skin, jut your head ahead barely, so it is nearer to the digicam. On the identical time, elongate your neck and tip your chin down a bit of bit.

In-person, it appears to be like unusual, however to the digicam, it appears to be like nice. In case you really feel foolish, observe together with your front-facing digicam. You may completely delete the images.

PHOTO EDITING: Who has the time to study Photoshop? Listed here are 5 photograph apps that make your pics higher with none Photoshop abilities.

A travel influencer says his Instagram page was recently hacked and held for ransom and wants his story to be a cautionary tale to others. (Photo: iStock)

A journey influencer says his Instagram web page was not too long ago hacked and held for ransom and needs his story to be a cautionary story to others. (Picture: iStock)

Decide your greatest selfie angle

First, let me be the one to say it: Taking a photograph of your face with the digicam beneath you could be very hardly ever flattering.

So, how do you identify the most effective angle for you? Instagram influencer Vi Luong says you need to take a collection of 9 selfies from completely different angles.

Maintain your smartphone and have a look at it head-on. Then, take three footage: one with the digicam proper in entrance of your face, one above and one beneath.

Now it is time to angle your face. Flip to the precise for the next three footage and preserve your head nonetheless. Now, take one photograph of your self with the digicam at face degree, one the place the digicam is excessive, and one is decrease.

Then tilt your face to the left. Maintain your head nonetheless and snap three footage (face degree, above and beneath) at this special approach.

When you get these 9 images, evaluate them to 1 one other to see which angle fits you greatest. Ask a buddy or member of the family you belief if you cannot determine.

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Make your eyes twinkle

Unhealthy lighting could make even the best-looking individual appear like a villain in a horror film. Listed here are a couple of easy guidelines of thumb to recollect.
Keep away from standing instantly beneath a light-weight. Direct mild can create harsh shadows that make your pores and skin look dangerous.
Discover gentle, pure mild as a substitute at any time when attainable. It hides blemishes and smooths out imperfections.
Face a light-weight supply so it illuminates your options and attracts consideration to your eyes. If there’s a light-weight fixture close by, level your eyes towards it and widen them only a bit.
In case you’re exterior, face the solar to make the most of the pure mild.
If the brilliant solar is casting darkish shadows or inflicting you to squint, flip away or discover a patch of shade.

Professional lighting tip: Ensure you have the correct lighting for video calls. I attempted a bunch and love the Lume Dice Broadcast Lighting Equipment. It comes with a suction cup to your monitor, a tripod, the sunshine, and a gentle diffuser so your face appears to be like wonderful.

Woman takes selfie in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

Girl takes selfie in entrance of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

Look higher in full-body images, too

After a long time of posing for skilled images and broadcasting on TV, I can inform you this: Standing straight towards the digicam isn’t flattering.

As a substitute of going through the digicam together with your ft planted beneath your hips, barely tilt your physique to 1 aspect. Angle your torso away from the digicam to look slimmer, too.

Right here’s a trick particularly for girls from mannequin, actress and photographer Parmita Katkar: Put your weight in your again hip. This makes your entrance leg, closest to the digicam, look leaner.

Questioning what to do together with your arms? There’s a cause placing a hand in your hip is a traditional: It makes your arm look slimmer than holding it pressed towards your physique.

PHOTOS 101: Greatest methods to avoid wasting your cellphone’s images earlier than it’s too late

Smile, even in the event you don’t wish to

All of us really feel stress to look as completely satisfied as attainable in footage, which might look unnatural.

One technique to fight that is to verify your smile is real. Inform a joke or take into consideration one thing that at all times makes you snort. There’s a cause “Say cheese!” is a traditional. It relaxes us and encourages us to have a bit of enjoyable.

Different instances, a mysterious Mona Lisa smile is the way in which to go. Take into consideration turning up the corners of your mouth — and even one aspect — with out doing a full smile. Half your lips only a bit to keep away from grimacing.

An odd trick that works: Push your tongue towards the again of your enamel. This relaxes your face and may slim your chin.

Bonus Tip: Tech’s influence on our our bodies

Neck ache, muscle pressure and even “smartphone pinky syndrome” are simply among the methods tech can damage your well being. I talked with know-how author Nicolas Carr on the unexpected impacts of know-how on our our bodies — and methods to guard ourselves.

Try my podcast “Kim Komando Explains” on Apple, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast participant.

Hearken to the podcast right here or wherever you get your podcasts. Simply seek for my final identify, “Komando.”

What digital life-style questions do you’ve got? Name Kim’s nationwide radio present and faucet or click on right here to search out it in your native radio station. You may take heed to or watch The Kim Komando Present in your cellphone, pill, tv, or laptop. Or faucet or click on right here for Kim’s free podcasts.

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Study all the newest know-how on The Kim Komando Present, the nation’s largest weekend radio discuss present. Kim takes calls and dispenses recommendation on at present’s digital life-style, from smartphones and tablets to on-line privateness and knowledge hacks. For her every day ideas, free newsletters, and extra, go to her web site at Komando.com.

Technology

This dual-screen laptop swings horizontally — and quotes the Whole Earth Catalog

Published

16 mins ago

July 2, 2024

Press Room

This dual-screen laptop swings horizontally — and quotes the Whole Earth Catalog

Unlike the Asus Zenbook Duo and Lenovo Yoga Book 9i we reviewed earlier this year, it’s not a twin-screen tablet with a detachable keyboard; this one’s most definitely a laptop with an extra screen on a hinge that swings all the way around. And unlike the upcoming GPD Duo, it swings horizontally instead of vertically. The company is calling it the “world’s first horizontally foldable 360 degree laptop.”

While we don’t have a price, release date, or full spec sheet yet, it seems this laptop isn’t shooting for gaming or high-end productivity; it’ll be equipped with a two-year-old 12th Gen Intel Core i7-1255U processor (we’re expecting 15th Gen this fall), 16GB of DDR4 memory, and a 1TB PCIe 3.0 SSD.

It also only supports 5Gbps transfer speeds from its USB-A and USB-C ports and HDMI 2.0 rather than HDMI 2.1 for its video output. And one of its two USB-C ports is only for charging.

Still, there are lots of tasks that don’t necessarily need lots of horsepower but could benefit from more visual real estate — and the second screen isn’t the only unique thing about this machine!

The Acemagic X1 also includes, and I quote:

Adding to its distinctive appeal, ACEMAGIC has engraved Steve Jobs’s iconic quote, “Stay hungry, Stay foolish,” in real gold on the left side of the keyboard. This touch symbolizes the device’s premium quality and innovative spirit.

(No, we don’t have a picture of the gold lettering to see if Steve Jobs’ name is also on the side of this laptop.)

The Acemagic M2A.

Image: Acemagic

Technology

AI-driven exoskeleton lightens your load, elevates performance

Published

33 mins ago

July 2, 2024

Press Room

AI-driven exoskeleton lightens your load, elevates performance

A groundbreaking AI-powered exoskeleton developed by researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill promises to be a game-changer for individuals with mobility issues.

I showed off a similar technology and got a mountain of messages asking if there was an application for disabled folks. This new exoskeleton could very well be that help.

The wearable technology provides unprecedented energy savings during human movement, making users feel as if they’re carrying 26 pounds less. This results in significant improvements in athletic performance and daily life activities.

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A man running while wearing an AI-powered exoskeleton (NCSU) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

The power of digital twin simulations

The secret behind this revolutionary exoskeleton lies in sophisticated digital twin simulations, where humans and machines coexist, learning and adapting through millions of iterations to perfect physical assistance. The exoskeleton’s AI algorithm, still in development, goes beyond traditional machine learning focused on simulations and games, venturing into a new frontier where technology directly enhances human capabilities.

A woman walking while wearing an AI-powered exoskeleton (NCSU) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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Data-driven and physics-informed reinforcement learning

The researchers have embraced data-driven and physics-informed reinforcement learning, an approach that ensures their wearable robots are not just smart but also intuitive, aligning with their mission to improve human mobility and health. This cutting-edge technology maps sensor inputs from the robot to assistive torque without any intermediate steps, enabling end-to-end control.

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A man climbing stairs while wearing an AI-powered exoskeleton (NCSU) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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Versatile assistance across multiple activities

One of the most remarkable features of this exoskeleton is its ability to generate synergistic assistance across various activities, including walking, running and stair-climbing. The learned controller automatically adapts to each user’s different kinematic patterns, accommodating transitions between activities seamlessly without the need for handcrafted control.

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A man running while wearing an AI-powered exoskeleton (NCSU) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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Unprecedented metabolic cost reduction

The experimental results are nothing short of impressive. Among state-of-the-art portable exoskeletons, the exoskeleton achieved the greatest metabolic cost reduction for walking (24.3%), running (13.1%) and stair-climbing (15.4%). This remarkable achievement stems from the experiment-free and versatile control approach, which eliminates the need for lengthy human tests and handcrafted rules.

Diagram of AI-powered exoskeleton’s results (NCSU) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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How much will the exoskeleton cost?

We spoke to Hao Su, Ph.D., associate professor at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is also the director of Biomechatronics and Intelligent Robotics Lab (BIRO), and he told us, “While the exoskeleton price is about $50,000 to $120,000 due to research and development costs and actuators, our approach can significantly reduce the R&D cost by leveraging our efficient learning-in-simulation framework, which allows for rapid design and testing in computer simulations rather than intensive testing on humans and physical robots.

“Looking forward, we plan to make our robots truly affordable and accessible through innovative hardware design, namely low-ratio gears and cost-effective but high-torque electric motors. In about one year, we aim to make our exoskeletons for sale at a price range of $1,500 to $4,000, depending on specific features and manufacturing scale.”

Kurt’s key takeaways

This AI-powered exoskeleton marks a major advancement in wearable robotics. It offers the rapid development and widespread adoption of assistive robots for both able-bodied and mobility-impaired individuals. This technology has the potential to revolutionize the field of exoskeletons, paving the way for a future where mobility is no longer a barrier and eliminates the hurdles of movement limitations.

What activities or tasks do you struggle with currently that this type of wearable robotic assistance could help make easier or more accessible? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

The Pixel 9’s “Google AI” is like Microsoft Recall but a little less creepy

Published

7 hours ago

July 2, 2024

Press Room

The Pixel 9’s “Google AI” is like Microsoft Recall but a little less creepy

The next generation of Pixel phones could come with new “Google AI” features, including one that sounds a little like Microsoft’s controversial Recall tool. As reported by Android Authority, Google is working on a “Pixel Screenshots” feature that can “save and process helpful details” from your screenshots, allowing you to search through them.

However, unlike Microsoft Recall, which automatically captures what you’re doing on your device, Google’s version would only process the screenshots taken manually — which should immediately make it less creepy-feeling than Recall. Microsoft delayed the rollout of Recall on Windows 11 after security experts raised concerns about the feature. Even though Google AI may only use the screenshots you take, it could raise similar concerns based on how the information is processed and stored.

Images obtained by Android Authority indicate that you can enable or disable AI processing for your screenshots at any time. When toggled on, it looks like you can use the feature to summarize your screenshots or answer questions about the information in them. Google will also save metadata, such as links, app names, and when the screenshot was taken to make it easier to search for specific images, according to Android Authority.

Google is planning to roll out a similar feature in Google Photos that uses AI to help you search through your photos. These aren’t the only AI features Google is working on, either. In addition to Pixel Screenshots, Android Authority reports that a new photo editing feature called “Add Me” will live under the Google AI umbrella. This feature could let you add someone to a group photo, which goes a step further than tweaking everyone’s faces with Best Take. Google will also reportedly add a previously rumored Studio tool that could use AI to generate stickers and other images.