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Friday, July 14, 2023

How to Get Carbink in Pokemon GO A guide on Getting Carbink in Pokemon GO

Carbink, known as the Jewel Pokemon, has finally arrived in the world of Pokemon GO, much to the excitement of trainers everywhere. This unique creature has garnered significant interest since its debut, particularly due to its close resemblance to Diancie, one of Kalos’ Mythical Pokemon. Many fans speculated about their connection until Game Freak officially confirmed it. Now, the challenge lies in locating and capturing Carbink in Pokemon GO. Although the process may not be as straightforward as trainers initially anticipated, there are methods available to add this dazzling diamond to your Pokedex. Let’s explore how you can accomplish this feat.

Credits – DotEsports

Understanding Carbink’s Significance:

At first glance, Carbink, a Rock/Fairy-type Pokemon, may not appear extraordinary. However, it holds a special link to the Gen VI Mythical Pokemon, Diancie. Both of these jewel-like creatures were confirmed to make their global debuts during the highly anticipated Go Fest 2023. If you’re planning to participate in this thrilling event, here’s everything you need to know to capture Carbink for the first time in Pokemon GO.

Catching Carbink through Rough-Timed Research:

Currently, the exclusive method to acquire Carbink in Pokemon GO is by completing the Rough Timed Research. This Research is exclusively available to trainers who purchased a Pokemon GO Fest: 2023 Global Ticket before 11:59 PM local time on July 5, 2023. If you possess this ticket, you can play between June 21 and July 5 to access the Timed Research. By completing this research, you’ll have the chance to encounter Carbink as a reward. Additionally, the ticket grants you access to Special Research for Diancie, making it a valuable investment.

Alternative Ways to Capture Carbink:

If you’re unable to obtain a Pokemon GO Fest: 2023 Global Ticket, don’t fret. There are still opportunities for you to capture Carbink. Field Research will be available on August 26–27 during the final weekend of Go Fest 2023, providing trainers with another chance to add Carbink to their collections. While the ticket purchase deadline is in July, players who have claimed the Research will have until August 26 to complete it and earn an encounter with Carbink.

Carbink’s Availability for Future Events:

Niantic, the developer of Pokemon GO, has already confirmed that Carbink will be accessible to all players during August’s GO Fest: Global event. Moreover, they have divulged the precise method of capturing Carbink during this event. Therefore, even if you miss out on the previous opportunities, future events are likely to feature Carbink, allowing you another shot at capturing this captivating creature. Keep a keen eye out for future announcements to ensure you don’t miss your chance.

Tips for GO Fest 2023:

During the 2023 GO Fest: Global event, every Pokemon GO player will have multiple encounters with Carbink. The event will span two days, specifically August 26 and 27, 2023. Carbink will be available through 2-Star Raids, and completing a specific 2023 GO Fest Field Research Task will also reward you with Carbink encounters. It’s worth noting that, like other Pokemon GO debuts, this won’t be your sole opportunity to capture Carbink. The possibility of future appearances in events remains high. Therefore, make the most of GO Fest 2023 and catch as many Carbinks as you can.

Exclusive Pokemon for Ticket Holders:

While Carbink will be freely accessible to all players, it’s essential to highlight that GO Fest 2023 introduces a new Pokemon exclusive to ticket holders. If you desire to capture Diancie as well, purchasing a GO Fest 2023 Ticket from the in-game shop is necessary. This ensures that ticket holders can enjoy an enhanced and exclusive Pokemon GO experience.

In conclusion, obtaining Carbink in Pokemon GO requires strategic planning and participation in specific events. While in-the-rough timed research currently serves as the primary method for trainers to capture Carbink, alternative options will soon become available, including Field Research during the final weekend of Go Fest 2023. Moreover, Niantic has confirmed Carbink’s presence in future events, giving trainers additional opportunities to capture this magnificent Pokemon. So, prepare yourself, gather your resources, and embark on your journey to add Carbink to your ever-growing Pokemon GO collection.

The post How to Get Carbink in Pokemon GO </br> <span style='color:#6A6A6A;font-size:20px;font-style: italic;font-weight: 400;'>A guide on Getting Carbink in Pokemon GO</span> appeared first on TechStory.


How To Play Pai Gow Poker A guide on Playing Pai Gow Poker

Pai Gow Poker, also known as Double Hand Poker, presents a challenging yet highly rewarding gameplay experience. Unlike the traditional Chinese dominoes used in Pai Gow, this version employs a standard deck of 52 cards along with one joker. If you’re ready to immerse yourself in the thrilling world of Pai Gow Poker, this comprehensive guide will equip you with all the necessary knowledge to play the game successfully.

Credits – LasVegasReview-Journal

Objective: Outsmarting the Banker

In Pai Gow Poker, your ultimate goal is to outwit the banker. The banker may be the dealer, another player, or a team consisting of a player and a dealer. To achieve victory, you must strategically form two poker hands using the seven cards dealt to you.

Dealing Process: Unveiling the Cards

The cards are shuffled before the dealing process begins. The dealer arranges the cards into seven face-down piles, consisting of seven cards each—one pile for every player and one for the dealer. Any surplus cards are placed in the discard pile, also known as the muck. Interestingly, in the days before card shufflers were invented, dealers used to arrange the cards in the shape of a dragon, complete with a head, body, and tail.

Hand Formation: The High and Low Hands

Your first hand, known as the “high” hand or back hand, consists of five cards. The second hand, referred to as the “low” hand or front hand, comprises only two cards. The high hand must always have a higher ranking than the low hand. For instance, if your low hand consists of a pair of fives, your high hand must be stronger than a pair of fives.

Outcome: Three Possible Results

After setting your hands, the dealer reveals them alongside the banker’s hands, leading to three potential outcomes:

  1. Winning Both Hands: If you manage to triumph in both hands, you receive your bet as winnings.
  2. Losing Both Hands: If the dealer wins both hands, you lose your bet.
  3. Split Result: In the scenario where you win one hand while the dealer wins the other, it results in a push, and no money changes hands, except for the commission charged by the casino.

In Pai Gow Poker, ties favor the dealer. For example, if both you and the dealer possess a low hand of A-K, the dealer wins that particular hand.

Correct Hand Placement: Bottom and Top Hands

Once all players have arranged their hands, the two-card hand is placed in front, and the five-card hand is positioned at the back. Consequently, the five-card hand is often called the “bottom,” “high,” “behind,” or “big” hand, while the two-card hand is referred to as the “top,” “small,” “minor,” “in front,” or “low” hand.

Setting your hands incorrectly, such as having the two-card hand outrank the five-card hand, leads to a fouled hand. In such cases, the hand is either reset according to the house rules or forfeited, depending on the casino. When the casino or dealer acts as the banker, the cards must be set according to the house rules. However, if a player serves as the banker, they have the freedom to arrange their hand as they wish. When a player co-banks with the dealer, the hand must comply with the house rules.

Seating and Card Distribution

At the Pai Gow Poker table, each seat is numbered from one to seven, with the banker occupying the first seat. A random number determines the initial player to receive cards, and the dealer distributes the cards in a counter-clockwise fashion.

Rules for Setting Your Hands

Several rules govern the formation of your Pai Gow hand. The two-card hand can only contain pairs and high cards, while the five-card hand follows standard poker hand rankings. Crucially, your five-card hand must outrank your two-card hand. For example, if your two-card hand consists of a pair of aces, your five-card hand must surpass two pairs in strength.

Joker’s Role: Completing Flushes and Straights

In Pai Gow Poker, the joker plays a crucial role. It can only be utilized to complete a flush or a straight. If neither of these situations arises, the joker functions as an ace. It’s worth noting that different casinos may enforce varying rules regarding the joker, but the most common usage follows the aforementioned guidelines.

Non-Hand: When the Cards Don’t Align

If you find yourself unable to form a pair or a better hand with your cards, resulting in a hand such as Q-9-7-6-5-3-2, it is referred to as a “pai gow” or non-hand.

Commission and Side Bets: Exploring Extra Opportunities

Most casinos deduct a commission from the player’s winnings, typically around 5%. Additionally, Pai Gow Poker offers various side bets in many casinos, allowing players to potentially increase their winnings. These side bets do not affect the primary bet for the hand itself. Instead, players can place additional bets on achieving three-of-a-kind, a full house, four-of-a-kind, a straight flush, or a royal flush. The bonus payout escalates based on the hand’s strength.

Some popular Pai Gow Poker side bets include Fortune Pai Gow (betting on trips or better), Pai Gow Mania (allowing two side bets), Emperor’s Challenge (betting on a pai gow), and Progressive Fortune Pai Gow (offering side bets with a combined seven-card straight flush winning the jackpot). Certain casinos even provide envy bonuses, allowing players to bet on another player at the table hitting a premium hand.

Dealer Assistance: Seeking Guidance When Needed

In situations where uncertainty arises regarding how to set your hand, don’t hesitate to seek assistance from the dealer. Most casinos allow dealers to assist players, and they are usually more than willing to provide guidance.

Conclusion: An Exciting and Strategic Variant

Pai Gow Poker stands as an enjoyable and popular poker variant that combines elements of luck and strategy. Equipped with this comprehensive guide, you possess the necessary knowledge to try your hand at Pai Gow Poker and immerse yourself in the thrilling experience it offers.

 

The post How To Play Pai Gow Poker </br> <span style='color:#6A6A6A;font-size:20px;font-style: italic;font-weight: 400;'>A guide on Playing Pai Gow Poker</span> appeared first on TechStory.


Elon Musk’s X Corp Files Lawsuit Against 4 for Data Scraping

Elon Musk’s X Corp has recently taken legal action against four anonymous individuals for allegedly scraping data from Twitter in violation of the platform’s terms of service. This move by X Corp highlights the growing concern over unauthorized data harvesting and its potential impact on user privacy and platform security. The lawsuit filed in Dallas, Texas seeks over $1 million in damages from the defendants whose identities remain unknown.'Over my dead body': Musk tells investor on paying Twitter office rent

Credits: Siasat

The Unlawful Scraping of Twitter Data:

The four users, named only by their IP addresses, have been accused by X Corp of overloading Twitter’s sign-up page with automated queries, implying a clear purpose to scrape data from the platform. These requests much outnumbered what a single person could make, indicating a collaborative effort and a use of technology. The defendants, according to X Corp, profited from the unauthorised scraping of Twitter data, in defiance of the platform’s terms of service.

Protecting User Data and Platform Integrity:

In reaction to the inflow of aggressive data scrapers, X Corp has developed safeguards to protect user data and maintain the platform’s integrity. The firm has limited the quantity of tweets that users can view every day and restricted access to tweets for non-registered Twitter account holders. These procedures are intended to prevent further data exploitation and to limit potential hazards connected with unauthorised scraping.

The Impact of Data Scraping:

Unauthorized scraping of data poses significant concerns for both individuals and companies. For individuals, it raises privacy concerns as personal information can be collected and potentially misused. Furthermore, scraping data without consent infringes upon user rights and undermines the trust users place in social media platforms to safeguard their information.

X Corp’s Lawsuit and Seeking Damages:

By filing a lawsuit against the data scrapers, X Corp hopes to make it abundantly clear that it will not stand for unauthorised data collecting. Given the magnitude of the alleged infringement, the firm is requesting damages of more than $1 million.

The Role of X Corp in Twitter’s Security:

Since Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, he has made it a priority to enhance the platform’s security and prevent AI companies from scraping data. This lawsuit is part of Musk’s ongoing efforts to safeguard user data and protect Twitter’s integrity. By implementing temporary limits on user activity such as the number of tweets that can be viewed in a day, Musk aims to mitigate the risks of data scraping and manipulation.

Potential Impacts and Future Measures:

The X Corp lawsuit and Musk’s actions reflect the wider effort in the internet based industry to resist unauthorised data scraping. This judicial action could serve as a deterrence to other data scrapers and set an example for future instances involving data privacy infractions. It may also push other social media platforms to beef up their security and take aggressive efforts to protect user data.

Conclusion:

The lawsuit filed by Elon Musk’s X Corp against anonymous persons accused of scraping data from Twitter shines light on the vital issue of unauthorised data harvesting. X Corp intends to take legal action and pursue damages in order to protect user privacy, maintain the platform’s integrity, and send a strong warning to future data scrapers. As data scraping remains an issue in the digital era, firms must prioritise the protection of user data and take decisive action against individuals who breach their terms of service.

This case serves as a reminder of the difficult problems that social media platforms confront in protecting user data. As technology advances, data scrapers’ methods get more complex, demanding proactive steps and continuing upgrades in security systems. Social media companies must not only invest in strong security infrastructure, but also change their policies and terms of service on a regular basis to handle emerging dangers.

The post Elon Musk’s X Corp Files Lawsuit Against 4 for Data Scraping appeared first on TechStory.


Saturday, May 20, 2023

Podcast episode 99: Messages, In a Bottle, and the Police

In-The-NewsThis week's episode of the In the News podcast is definitely worth checking out because we covered so much. We talked about the death of Drobo and how to preserve your digital memories for a long time. We discussed the upcoming Apple-Pepsi promotion and remembered the last time they worked together, 20 years ago. We discussed ChatGPT on the iPhone, tracking stolen AirPods, and the operating system updates released this week for the iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch. We also explained how to catch someone's attention when you send a text message by using a subject line (in bold). And we talked about storing a driver's license in the wallet app.

In our In the Know segment, Brett discusses the option of displaying remaining iPhone battery life by using a number instead of an icon. I explain how to delete and then recover deleted text messages in the Messages app.

Click here to listen to the audio podcast, or just listen using your podcast player of choice.  You can also watch the episode on YouTube:

       

Friday, May 19, 2023

In the News

In-the-NewsThe iPhone is a great videocamera. The quality is excellent and has virtually always been cutting edge. For example, I took 4K home videos with my iPhone for many years before I had a television or other device that could show the videos in 4K because I knew that in the future I would appreciate taking the best quality video possible. (I love that I have some digitized VHS-C videos from the 1980s and 1990s and some digitized Super-8 videos from even earlier, but the quality is poor by today's standards.) The one downside of taking lots of the highest quality videos with your iPhone is that they take up a large amount of space. As a result, for many years now I've moved most of those large videos off of my iPhone and on to my computer ... or more accurately, to an external drive connected to my computer. I was thinking about that this week when I saw Kevin Purdy at Ars Technica report that Drobo has stopped sales and is moving from a Chapter 11 bankruptcy to a liquidation-focused Chapter 7 bankruptcy. When I bought a Drobo in 2015, I considered it to be an amazing external storage device because it was safe and secure and easily expandable. I wrote about my Drobo when the company subsequently became a sponsor of iPhone J.D. in late 2015 and 2016, but I stopped using it last year when the future of the company become so uncertain. I moved to two Western Digital 18TB external drives (one for backup) which cost only $299—an amazing price for that much storage. In addition to that second drive for local storage, I also have an online backup on BackBlaze. I have no doubt that at some point in the future, I'll move from those 18TB drives to something better. We all know that no technology lasts forever, but it is important to keep that in mind when it comes to your important videos, photos, and documents that you want to retain for many decades. This means making backups today and being ready to move to new storage technologies from time to time. And now, the news of note from the past week:

  • Twenty years ago, Apple and Pepsi announced a promotion where randomly selected Pepsi bottles had a code in the cap that would give you a free song on iTunes with 100 million songs given away. That resulted in me buying some Pepsi products to get some free songs. Evan Selleck of AppleInsider reports that there is a new Apple and Pepsi promotion this Summer: certain bottles will have a QR code you can scan for different prizes including three months of free Apple Music. Unlike twenty years ago when I got lots of free songs, this time there is a limit of one redemption per person.
  • Tammy Rogers of iMore notes that the most-streamed song on Apple Music is Ed Sheeran's song Shape of You, which has been streamed 930 million times.
  • By the way, Sheeran performed a concert that Apple live-streamed May 10. You can still watch the concert on Apple TV+. Sheeran sounds great, and the video quality is fantastic.
  • Attorney John Voorhees of MacStories reports that Apple has added some new music-related features to Apple Music and to Apple Maps. In the Apple Music app you can now see information about major artist tours including a playlist of the set list. The Apple Maps app now includes guides for watching live music in some top cities—guides that you can also view in a browser by clicking here. Given how important music is to New Orleans, I hope the Apple adds a music guide for New Orleans when it next expands the list of cities.
  • Erica Werner of the Washington Post reports that Montana became the first state to ban an app—specifically, the TikTok app. Obviously, legal challenges are expected.
  • Everyone is talking about AI right now, and in large part that is because of the ChatGPT website. Yesterday, OpenAI launched a ChatGPT app for the iPhone, as reported by James Vincent of The Verge.
  • Aaron Tilley and Miles Kruppa of the Wall Street Journal report that Apple has restricted the use of ChatGPT by Apple employees because Apple is concerned about confidential data being released. Remember, whatever you type in ChatGPT is forever known by ChatGPT; don't type anything that is private.
  • Apple announced this week that its App Store security methods have prevented $2 billion in App Store fraud.
  • Griffin Jones of Cult of Mac identifies some features in Messages that you may not have known about, such as the ability to write a message in bold text by turning on the Show Subject Field setting.
  • As Apple announced it would do last week, Apple released iOS 16.5 this week. Michael Potuck of 9to5Mac reports that it fixes a number of security flaws, including three that had been actively exploited. Ouch.
  • Chance Miller of 9to5Mac reports that iOS 16.5 also enhanced sports news in Apple News and fixes some issues in Spotlight, Podcasts in CarPlay, and Screen Time. It also includes Apple's new Pride wallpaper for the Lock Screen.
  • Miller also notes that watchOS 9.5 was released, which supports the new Pride Celebration watch face.
  • If a loved one has passed away and they gave you Legacy Access, you can access data on their Apple devices such as pictures. But if not, Glenn Fleishman explains in an article for Macworld how you may still be able to unlock a deceased person's device. You won't see the data, but you may be able to wipe the device clean and use it.
  • Malcolm Owen of AppleInsider reports that this week Apple expanded its iPhone 14 Emergency SOS via Satellite feature to Australia and New Zealand. Based on what I saw of the New Zealand countryside in the Lord of the Rings movies, which I presume is 100% realistic, I can easily imagine getting lost there when I'm outside of cell tower range.
  • Eric Slivka of MacRumors reports that Georgia is the fourth U.S. state to support adding a digital drivers license to Apple's Wallet app.
  • I often link to stories in which people used an AirTag to find a thief. But Alex Cabero of KSL-TV in Salt Lake City reports that police were able to track down a thief to a Motel 6 because one of the items that he stole from a yoga studio was a pair of AirPods.
  • In a somewhat similar story from Julia Backley of CNN from two months ago, a woman who flew from Tokyo to San Francisco discovered that her AirPods Pro were stolen from her jacket while on a United flight. Because of Find My and the assistance of the local police, she was able to track the AirPods Pro to a person's house—who it turns out was an employee of a company that loads food onto United planes. After CNN contacted United, the airline paid for her to get new AirPods Pro (because of the poor condition of the ones eventually returned to her) and gave her 5,000 miles as an apology.
  • With all of that money you are saving thanks to three free months of Apple Music from Pepsi, you can consider buying the Hermès luxury leather AirPods Pro case, which costs only €780 (about $840). Felipe Espósito of 9to5Mac has the details.
  • This October, Apple TV+ will release a movie written and directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, along with Jesse Plemons, Brendan Fraser, John Lithgow and many other well-known actors. That's pretty much all I need to hear to know that this might be a movie that I want to see. It is called Killers of the Flower Moon, and it is a Western crime drama based on true events in Oklahoma in the 1920s. Apple will release this movie in theaters before the movie streams on Apple TV+. Mike Fleming, Jr., of Deadline wrote an extensive article about the making of the movie, and the article includes an interesting interview with Scorsese. Here is the trailer:

       

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Apple previews fascinating new accessibility features

Apple logo 48 Today is the twelfth annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day, a day aimed at raising awareness of people with disabilities and impairments. Apple is once again using the occasion to preview some of its upcoming accessibility features. And this year, Apple has some really fascinating announcements. Here are some of the highlights:

Live Speech and Personal Voice

For people who are unable to speak, Live Speech is a way that you can type words on an iPhone (or iPad or Mac) and have the words spoken out loud during phone calls, FaceTime calls, and in-person conversations. It's a simple idea that makes a lot of sense.

Live-Speech

But wait ... there is more. For people who are at risk of losing their ability to speak, such as people recently diagnosed with ALS, Apple has created Personal Voice, a way to create a voice that sounds like your voice. To configure it, you read along with a randomized set of text prompts for 15 minutes. Then, your iPhone or iPad creates a voice for you to use.

Apple-accessibility-Personal-Voice

You don't want someone else to take your voice, so Apple has some interesting built-in security and privacy. First, those phases are random, so you cannot just record someone else's voice while they are talking and then use that recording to create a Personal Voice because they would not be speaking the randomized text prompts. Moreover, the Personal Voice is created right on your device, so your voice is never uploaded to the Internet.

I'm very curious to try this out and see how it works. It sounds like incredibly cool technology.

Assistive Access

You may know how to use the iPhone, but the interface can be very confusing for some folks. When Assistive Access mode is turned on, apps like the Camera, Photos, Music, Phone, and Messages take on a simplistic interface with large, high-contrast buttons and few menus.

Apple-accessibility-Assistive-Access-Calls

I know quite a few folks who didn't grow up with technology and who would appreciate this mode.

Point and Speak

For people with reduced or no vision, the upcoming Point and Speak mode in the Magnifier app allows a person to interact with physical objects that have text labels. Apple explains: "For example, while using a household appliance — such as a microwave — Point and Speak combines input from the camera, the LiDAR Scanner, and on-device machine learning to announce the text on each button as users move their finger across the keypad."

...and more

And that is just the tip of the iceberg. For example, for people with low vision, Apple is improving the ability to change text size. For people who have trouble hearing, more hearing devices work with the iPhone. For people sensitive to rapid animations, Apple is adding an ability to automatically pause images with moving elements in Messages and Safari.

These new features will be incredibly valuable for the target audience. But like most accessibility features, I suspect that they will also be appreciated by other folks for various reasons. For example, I'm sure folks will come up with some very creative things to do with Personal Voice. I look forward to seeing all of these new features rolled out.

       

Friday, May 12, 2023

Podcast episode 98: Apple’s Canary Trap, The Final Cut for iPad, and Classical Music Magic

In-The-NewsWho needs a good spy movie on Apple TV+ when Apple's own employees are providing stories of intrigue? We start today's edition of the podcast by discussing the technique that Apple reportedly used to catch a person leaking Apple secrets. Next we talk about the upcoming Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro apps for the iPad, apps that are interesting not just because of what you can do with the apps but also because what the release of these two apps suggests about Apple's future plans. We prepare for iOS 16.5, explain why you should get an Apple Pencil now that it is on sale, talk about how Apple technology is catching bank robbers and saving lives, and discuss Apple Music Classical. We also recommend some great shows to watch on Apple TV+ and elsewhere.

In our In the Know segment, Brett provides a tip for customizing the search results you get in Google Maps and Apple Maps. I explain how to adjust whether the Apple Watch shows words on the screen when you are talking to Siri and when Siri is responding to you.

Click here to listen to the audio podcast, or just listen using your podcast player of choice.  You can also watch the episode on YouTube: