4K Set-Top Box Showdown: Roku 4 vs. SHIELD TV vs. Fire TV

Were also only looking at boxes with their own remotes, local storage, and operating systems. It supports streaming video in 4K, but unfortunatelydoes not support HDR video. It can stream video in 4K and its the only option on our list that also supports HDR. None of these games play in 4K, though, so were not paying too much attention to those. It includes Alexa, which means it can donearly anything the Amazon Echo can....

September 25, 2016 · 4 min · 803 words · Mr. Andrew Collier

The Restored Castle of Matrera

Restoring an ancient monument is a delicate business. Do you shore up an existing wall, or redo it completely in modern concrete? But did he go too far? Then five years ago, the tower suffered a partial collapse, requiring immediate intervention. In doing so, he had totally altered the ruins. The restored castle is now a strikingly white modern design with remains of the original castle embedded within it. Modern standards for restoring historic buildings discouraged efforts to make them look as they might have when first erected....

September 24, 2016 · 1 min · 199 words · Elizabeth Rodriguez

The Historic Dutch Ship Batavia, And Its Blood-Curdling History

So far, he has built Batavia, while a second ship The Seven Provinces, is a work-in-progress. The replica of Batavia at Bataviawerf. Long forgotten, traditional crafts such as woodcarving, forgoing and rigging had to be re-learnt. The remains of the original ship in Fremantle, as well as theVasa in Stockholm, provided invaluable information. The survivors managed to swim to the nearby Beacon Island, but about 40 people drowned. The crew tried to provoke the ships commander, Francisco Pelsaert, by molesting a high-ranking young female passenger....

September 23, 2016 · 2 min · 326 words · Robyn Beasley

It’s Not Your Job to Tell Yourself “No”

Have you ever told yourself no? Im talking about thoughts like Why bother applying? I doubt that school would ever accept me, or This business idea isnt going to work. Im too old/too young/too inexperienced. This post originally appeared onJamesClear.com. Or maybe Hed never date me. I might as well move on. Or My boss wont promote me anyway. Why should I even ask? From what I can tell, we all doubt ourselves from time to time....

September 22, 2016 · 3 min · 487 words · Mary Nelson

Six Expensive Home Repairs You Can Avoid With a Little Maintenance

The cost of owning a home goes well beyondthe price you paid for the house itself. When something breaks, you have to fix it, and those repairs can be costly. Bad news, though. Typically,homeowners insurance only covers damage that is sudden and not preventable. Most policies wont cover any expenses you could have prevented with proper maintenance. Check your roof at least twice a year. With a little maintenance, it’s possible for you to catch foundation problems early or avoid them altogether....

September 22, 2016 · 4 min · 828 words · Patrick Colon

The Good and Bad of the Whole30 Diet

TheWhole30diet declares swaths of food off-limits, and sets up ironclad rules about the little thats left. That means it checks a lot of boxes fora fad dietor one thatstoo draconian to be effective. But theres good here too, enough that it might help if you know what youre in for. If these claims sound like a late-night infomercial, youve got the right idea. Theres no science to back up the idea that the Whole30 diet is a miracle cure....

September 22, 2016 · 2 min · 354 words · Ashley Bruce

A Screenshot Tour of Allo, Google's New Smart Messaging App

Google Assistant brings that power to your texts and chats. Assistant is handy whenever youre making plans with other people. For example, say youre trying to find a place to eat. Tap one and you might get directions, call the restaurant, or view the menu. Assistant also remembers its own context. For example, if you tap a restaurant, you might then ask Is it open? and Google understands that it refers to the restaurant youre looking at....

September 21, 2016 · 2 min · 300 words · Diane Williams

The Shift in Mindset That Will Help You Get Out of Debt

When you feel utterly powerless against debt, it only makes the process more difficult. Learn to Practice Gratitude Its only natural to feel resentful when youre paying off debt. You have to give up certain luxuries so you can pay down your balance, even small luxuries. When your balance is massive, it feels like you have to give up on those expenses forever. All of the things I couldnt do....

September 21, 2016 · 4 min · 754 words · Charles Smith

Saudi Arabia’s Abandoned Hejaz Railway

But its primary motive was to strengthen the empires control over the most distant provinces of the empire. When the Arabs, led by the strategic British officer T.E. For centuries, the old Arab tribes had guided and guarded the pilgrims across the harsh desert. This gave the Arabs an opportunity to turn their vengeance on the railway. Lawrence joined in on the attack and destroyed countless bridges. After the First World War, the railway was abandoned although several attempts were made to revive....

September 20, 2016 · 1 min · 164 words · Samantha Anderson

The Dee Wright Observatory And Viewing Tubes

When a viewer peers through the tube, he sees the landmark through the other end. Ingenious, isnt it? This is what a viewing tube looks like. Photo credit:leloupdujura/Imgur This particular viewing tube is located somewhere in the Swiss mountains. Viewing tubes in the Swiss mountains. Photo credit:leloupdujura/Imgur A viewing tube near Mt Whitney. Photo credit:Research-Indicates/Reddit Mt Whitney through the viewing tube. Photo credit:Research-Indicates/Reddit A viewing tube near Brigham Butte.

September 20, 2016 · 1 min · 69 words · Wendy Davis

The Feedback Loop From Hell

Theres an insidious quirk to your brain that, if you let it, can drive you absolutely batty. Tell me if this sounds familiar to you: You get anxious about confronting somebody in your life. That anxiety cripples you and you start wondering why youre so anxious. Now youre becominganxious about being anxious. Now youre anxious about your anxiety, which is causing more anxiety. Quick, wheres the whiskey? Or lets say you have an anger problem....

September 20, 2016 · 4 min · 661 words · Robert Cannon

What Self-Driving Cars Can Teach Us About Better Driving

So far, self-driving cars have a safer driving track record than most humans. This seems impressive, but part of the reason is because wesuckat driving. Were in a hurry, we get angry, and we take unnecessary risks. In those areas, self-driving cars have a few things they could teach us. The study also believed, but couldnt prove that the self-driving car accidents werent as severe. Of course, its still too early to say that driverless cars would definitely be safer in mass use....

September 20, 2016 · 3 min · 441 words · Melinda Alvarado

A Mysterious Ice Cave That Produces Ice Only During Summer

Its a small cave, or a pit, with an eight-feet-wide by ten-feet-long opening in the ground. At the bottom of the forty-foot deep chasm is a layer of ice. This is the Coudersport Ice Mine, one of natures many ice-manufacturing plants. The ice starts to form in spring, increasing in volume as the weather gets hotter and hotter. When this cold air comes in contact with percolating groundwater, ice is formed....

September 19, 2016 · 1 min · 163 words · Traci Mitchell PhD