Month: January 2023

Attack Hole: what it is, download and how to play the hit of the moment

Attack Hole is already being one of the top videos games of 2023, and good proof of this is that it accumulates more than one million downloads in just a few days. Behind Attack Hole hides a title with a very simple mechanics, but that will entertain many people.

Attack Hole DOWNLOAD
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Find out in Softonic what it is, how to play and all the tricks of Attack Hole. Take good notes!

What is Attack Hole

Attack Hole is based on a premise that is very easy to understand: you have to try to make a black hole swallow as many objects as possible. That’s it, there is not much more to it.

In the purest Donut County style -you have to play this game yes or yes, please-, with Attack Hole the objective is to make the highest number of points in the shortest possible time.

Attack Hole is developed by the French company Homa Games. Based in Paris, the video game was launched last November 2022, but it was not until the first week of 2023 that it has made a huge jump in downloads worldwide.

How to play Attack Hole

Attack Hole DOWNLOAD
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To play Attack Hole, the main objective is to make the black hole swallow as many objects as possible. Each object swallowed earns a certain amount of points. However, not all objects are worth the same points. For example, swallowing a bullet from a gun is worth less than swallowing a shotgun cartridge. The catch is that you need to increase the diameter of the black hole before you can swallow larger objects like the shotgun cartridge.

One of the key differentiators of the game is that you need to swallow smaller objects in order to grow the black hole big enough to swallow larger objects. This adds an element of strategy and timing to the game as you have to find and swallow the smaller objects quickly before time runs out.

The size of the black hole is indicated by a bar around it. As you swallow objects, the black hole will grow. Once the bar completes a full rotation, the black hole will increase in size. As you progress through the levels, the objective will become more challenging. Good luck with your black hole!

Print supplements in 3D? Now it’s possible thanks to AI

As every year during the CES (Consumer Electronics Show), companies show us their technological advances and curious inventions with the aim of improving our quality of life. The 2023 edition was no different and among the products shown, we can find everything from Samsung’s MiniLED TVs to a toilet that can perform urine analysis.

Neutrogena, one of the companies present at the 2023 CES, took the opportunity to show several of its advances focused on the beauty and health sector. However, there was one product in particular that managed to capture the attention of those present.

This year, Neutrogena has presented its new collaboration with Nourished, a company specialized in producing food supplements in the form of 3D printed gummies. Both companies announced the launch of a new technology that allows creating skin supplements from 3D prints. In addition, it also uses artificial intelligence so that each user has their own personalized supplements.

And how does this technology work exactly? It all starts with Skin360, a Neutrogena-owned app. Through the app, users have to take pictures of their skin (it must be clean and dry), answer a series of questions, mark the goals they want to achieve, and then they will be recommended the ideal supplement for this.

For a accurate diagnosis, the software is able to analyze almost 2,000 different attributes of our skin and based on the data obtained, design a personalized chemical composition. After the analysis process, Nourished prints the necessary gummies (vegan and with no added sugar) in 3D and sends them to their owners in biocompostable packaging.

However, this is not Neutrogena’s first foray into the field of 3D printing. In March 2022, the company presented other supplements, but focused on improving oral health thanks to a collaboration with Colgate.

What is clear is one thing: thanks to these advances, health companies aim to aim for a future where users can “create supplements on demand“.

WebChatGPT: New kid on the AI block for scraping the internet

ChatGPT is an incredibly large language model created by OpenAI that lets users experience and explore the power of artificially intelligent systems. This tool is useful in many spheres of entertainment and can do anything from acting as a pseudo-mental health companion to writing stories or screenplays based on your prompts. You can even use ChatGPT to play text-based games. So what is WebChatGPT?

There are a few things that ChatGPT cannot do. The utility cannot scrape or browse the web without exploiting a particular loophole, and it has very limited access to anything information posted after 2021. I saw this first-hand when I asked the language model about the current monarch of the UK is. However, there’s a way to get around these rather significant limitations, and it’s easier than you might think. 

What is WebChatGPT?

Let me introduce you to WebChatGPT, the Chromium-based browser extension that revolutionizes how useful ChatGPT can be. The extension is remarkably easy to use and is available on any Chromium-based browser, such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and even my browser of choice, Brave. All you need to do is head to the Chrome Web Store and search for the utility, or hit this link. From there, simply click Add to Chrome (this will alter depending on the browser you use), and the extension will sort itself out. 

From there, it’ll automatically open an interface with ChatGPT, but with a few enhancements. The first thing you’ll see is a new bar below the text box into which you type your prompt. This bar has new options for you to try out, such as altering the time frame within which to search,  deciding how many web results you’d like the utility to issue, and to which region the utility should confine its search. You can also hit the toggle to the left of these options to prevent the utility from searching the web for answers.

While this greatly improves the workability of the ChatGPT language model, it does make verifying sources and the legitimacy of information slightly more of a task. However, the utility seems to be able to point out when information may be out of date and provides you with URLs, contextual excerpts, and dates from which to begin your investigation. Overall, WebChatGPT is a game-changer in the AI space, and it’ll be interesting to see how widely this particular extension is adopted into the modern professional and entertainment industries. 

Before you head on over to mess around with ChatGPT and this new browser extension, just keep in mind that neither ChatGPT nor OpenAI are responsible for the accuracy of the information you find, particularly if you work with the new browser extension. This is not an intelligent robot; it is a language model. The intelligence behind how this class of utility works is not the same as that which drives you or me.

It’s best not to expect AI to behave in ways that we understand, and it’s of paramount importance not to ascribe human characteristics to these utilities. The characteristics to which I refer are the ability to offend, upset, or concern. This is merely coding, software, and a little hardware. ChatGPT does not understand human experiences, nor should it.

WhatsApp blocked? You may now use a proxy bypass!

WhatsApp is a popular messaging service by Meta, parent company of Facebook. The service is designed to work everywhere, provided that an Internet connection is available on the device.

WhatsApp may be blocked in some regions or environments. Devices connected to a company network may have certain restrictions, and the use of messaging apps like Whatsapp may be one of them.

Similarly, WhatsApp may be blocked temporarily or permanently in certain regions or countries. Governments may block Internet communication temporarily, for example, during election days or demonstrations.

A visit to one of those regions or permanent residency there makes it difficult to use the service. Up until now, use of VPNs could help bypass the block. Now, WhatsApp users have another option at their disposal: proxy servers.

WhatsApp Proxy Server support

WhatsApp announced support for proxy servers this week. Users of the messaging app may use proxies to bypass blocks.

Announcing the news, the company says:

We’re mindful that just as we’ve celebrated the start to 2023 through private texts or calls, there are many people who continue to be denied the ability to reach their loved ones because of internet shutdowns. To help, today we’re launching proxy support for WhatsApp users all over the world. What this means is we’re putting the power into people’s hands to maintain access to WhatsApp if their connection is blocked or disrupted.

Choosing a proxy enables you to connect to WhatsApp through servers set up by volunteers and organizations around the world dedicated to helping people communicate freely.

A proxy server acts as an intermediary server between the user’s device and the target destination. In the case of WhatsApp, traffic is tunneled through the proxy server to communicate with WhatsApp. The bypass works on the condition that the proxy server is not blocked as well.

User messages and data is protected with the same level of privacy and security as direct WhatsApp connections, according to the announcement. The maintainer of the proxy server sees the IP address of the user’s device, however.

It is essential, therefor, that a trusted proxy provider is selected.

Setting up a proxy in WhatsApp

WhatsApp itself does not maintain any proxies. The company recommends that users search on the Internet to find proxy servers by “trusted sources” to use.

Setting up a proxy on Android

  1. Select the three-dots on the main page and then Settings.
  2. Go to Storage and Data > Proxy.
  3. Select Proxy settings.
  4. Tap the use proxy preference to set it to ON
  5. Tap on Set Proxy.
  6. Enter the proxy address and tap save to connect.

WhatsApp displays a checkmark if the connect is successful.

Setting up a proxy on iOS

  1. Open the WhatsApp Settings.
  2. Go to Storage and Data > Proxy.
  3. Tap Use Proxy.
  4. Type the proxy address and tap save to connect.

WhatsApp displays a checkmark if the connect is successful.

Verdict

Support for proxy servers adds another access option to WhatsApp. While it may be unnecessary for most users of the server, it may be the only option for some.

Finding a trusted proxy provider can be challenging, on the other hand.

WhatsApp explains how to set up a proxy on GitHub. The instructions are technical, and they require access to a server or computer to run the proxy on.

Sony announces Project Leonardo to improve accessibility on PS5 consoles

Sony recently delivered the CES 2023 presentation, where it addressed how it will attend to the gaming needs of gamers with physical handicaps. While some games have accessibility options, the hardware components to meet these requirements are lacking. Enter Project Leonardo, presenting a new solution.

In one of the latest blog posts, Sony details how the new controller kit works. It mimics the PS5 controller with colors and schemes, but it’s more effective for gamers with physical handicaps. There’s a joystick, and the buttons are on a circular pad. The best part is that you can configure the buttons to match your preferred setup for any compatible game.

Sony announces Project Leonardo

You can also set three profiles, which lets you switch between them at any time. From the look of the images, it also looks like you decide where you want the buttons to be. Of course, you’ll probably need to establish the button configuration on the PS5’s software, so it knows how to allocate them. 

Project Leonardo has various face and trigger buttons. You can easily move the joystick anywhere in relation to the gamepad, giving you more comfort and playability options. If you still want to use your dual sense controller, you’ll be able to add this new controller kit to it. Also, you can just use the accessibility controller without integration with the PS5 controller.

There are audio ports for you to connect headphones or any other audio kits. They’re in a convenient position for you to comfortably play any of your PS5 games without the cables being annoying. Still, I suppose it would be better if you have Bluetooth earphones to avoid the use of any wires.

While Sony hasn’t indicated a release date for Project Leonardo as yet, I’m keen to see if handicapped gamers will enjoy the new controller. It looks pretty good, and I only hope that it’s easy and comfortable to use. 

Best Youtube Fitness Channel 2023

Working out from home has become the norm over the past few years. While gyms gave us coaches and support, it became more convenient to train, with or without equipment, in the comfort of our living rooms. When it comes to learning new cardio fitness moves and sets, we tend to turn to platforms like YouTube and Netflix.

The only problem is that YouTube is saturated with thousands of channels offering fitness advice and training schedules. To get you off to a good start in 2023, we’ve made a list of some of the best Youtube fitness channels.

Youtube Fitness Channel

Pamela Reif

When it comes to trying different forms of workouts for a few minutes each day, check out Pamela Reif’s YouTube channel. There’s an array of top-quality videos, showcasing yoga, dance training, HIIT, and much more. With her catalog of intense YouTube fitness videos, she also supplies exciting music to accompany your exercises.

Natacha Oceane

With a PhD behind her name, Natacha Ocean takes a more scientific approach to exercising. She spends time researching how each workout type helps the body remain fit. She even goes as far as checking research and scientific papers before attempting any of the exercises herself, informing you on her findings. You’ll find plenty of workouts to try on her YouTube channel.

Grow With Jo

If you like aerobic types of exercises, check out the Grow with Jo YouTube channel. While she has a variety of styles, the walking workout is probably one of the more popular ones. It doesn’t require rigorous sets or training, and you can ease yourself to the right pace. It certainly helps you get all those steps you need to record on your fitness watch.

Yoga With Adriene

Are you looking to remain fit in your home by meditating and stretching your body? Yoga with Adriene offers YouTube videos that show you different forms and styles, keeping your body fit, mind strong, and heart healthy. These exercises will also help you feel less stiff from working in your home office all day and take that pain from your back. 

Men’s Health YouTube

The Men’s Health magazine has been popular for many years in several countries. Now, you can enjoy YouTube videos of how celebrities remain fit for their movies. Also, it looks at eating the right way, mental and emotional fitness, and other aspects that will keep you healthy in life.

Women’s Health YouTube

There’s also a Women’s Health YouTube channel. In the same way, you’ll read about eating the right types of food, different workout techniques, and also the best clothes to wear while training. You’ll also see Body Scan videos to see how celebrities stayed in shape, and some content about what to keep in your fridge between training sessions.

Everything You Should Know About HBO’s The Last Of Us TV Show

While the game was released in 2013, we’ve had several years wondering if The Last of Us TV show would ever appear on HBO. First, the series was announced, then it was canceled, and then Sony revived it again. Well, it looks like we’re well on our way to finally seeing it in 2023.

Here’s everything you need to know about The Last of US TV Show, such as the story, actors, and anticipated release date. And since HBO Max is now part of Amazon Prime, we suspect it will air there, too.

HBO Max DOWNLOAD HERE

The Last of Us game Plot

In the Last of Us game, Joel Miller finds himself hired to escort a girl named Ellie to doctors who believe she holds the cure for the post-apocalyptic plaque that wiped out the world. It’s set in 2033, and it’s been about 20 years since the fungal infections have taken humans over like parasitic hosts. During the journey, Miller needs to not only protect her from these abominations but also other human factions who want this cure for themselves.

TV Show Expectations

For the most part, we’re all expecting The Last of Us TV show to roughly follow the same plot in the 9-episode series. There have been some hints that the Left Behind prequel that focuses on Ellie will also have some part in the show, while there may be hints of The Last of Us Part II that takes place five years later. It will be interesting to see how the developers pull this off.

The stars of The Last of Us

Pedro Pascal takes the male lead as Joel Miller in The Last of Us. You may know him from Game of Thrones and The Mandalorian. Also, he was the voice of Paolo in Bethesda’s Dishonored 2. Ellie will be played by Bella Ramsey, who gamers may know from Doctor Who Infinity: The Dalek Invasion of Time as the voice of Freya. 

Personally, I know her from the series The Worst Witch, in which she was spectacular. She left the show to pursue greater challenges, and I’d say she succeeded in her goals by landing this magnificent part.

Some other names you might know are Gabriel Luna, Anna Torv, Storm Reid, Melanie Lynskey, Lamar Johnson, Keivonn Woodard, Graham Green, and Elaine Miles, among others. While some will star as characters from the games, others are new appearances made especially for The Last of Us Show.

Scheduled date of release

There are nine scheduled episodes in The Last of Us. It will start on January 15, 2023, with each episode appearing every week on the same day. The final episode will air on March 12 if nothing goes wrong. If the show does appear on Amazon Prime as part of the HBO Max experience, I’ll definitely be watching it, being a massive post-apocalyptic gamer. You can check my Twitch channel to see how many times I’ve played Fallout 4 this past week alone.

Popular Intermittent Fasting Schedules and Apps For Weight Loss

Intermittent fasting has been gaining a lot of ground lately, especially with some of the top actors and athletes. It finds a balanced area between hard fasting and eating what you want, making sure you don’t over- or undereat. It’s also a great way of managing your diet with a schedule. 

In this quick article, I’ll explain more on what IF is in more detail, some of the top dieting methods used, and the top intermittent fasting apps to look at. It may just help you with your weight loss or exercise goals for 2023.

What is intermittent fasting?

Do you know the hardcore method of fasting for several hours or days on end? It’s not really a healthy way to lose weight, as it teaches your body to store fat when you do eat again, preventing starvation. Intermittent fasting lets you exchange periods of fasting and eating at set intervals instead. When the food window opens, you can eat what you want. 

That’s why so many celebrities like it, and probably why you see Dwayne Johnson shoveling pancakes and burgers all at once on a Sunday on Instagram. 

Intermittent Fasting Schedules and Apps For Weight Loss

Popular intermittent fasting methods

There are a few intermittent fasting techniques, as one size doesn’t fit all in this scenario. You can use a fasting calculator to determine the best options of IF methods for you, with the first one being the most popular:

  • 16:8 – Fasting for 16 hours with an 8-hour period for eating delicious meals, which means a late breakfast and an early dinner.
  • 5:2 – You eat as you normally would for five days, while for the other 2 days, you cut back about 20% of your standard daily calorie intake. 
  • 14:10 – It’s basically the same as the 16:8 diet, but you’ll have more time to eat and less time fasting. You can have your breakfast earlier, but you’ll stop eating by 8 pm.
  • Alternate days: As the name says, you’ll eat like normal one day, then fast the entire next day, and so on. The alternative is that you only eat a few calories on alternate days
  • Eat-stop-eat: In this method, you’ll follow the daily motto of E-S-E, which means eating one day, fasting completely the next, then eating the next day again. You’ll start again. That means, you’ll have two days in a row of eating, but only a singular day of fasting in between.
  • Warrior Diet: This technique is quite different from the others. You’ll start your day snacking on small fruits and vegetables, while you can have one massive meal between 4 pm and 8 pm. It’s not ideal for people who need energy for training or work, but fasting at night helps.
Intermittent Fasting Schedules and Apps For Weight Loss

Top IF apps for weight loss

There are two apps I can recommend if you want to try this form of dieting. Fastic: Intermittent Fasting has some of the methods indicated above, incorporating a timer that will let you know when to eat and fast. Zero – Intermittent Fasting has similar features, and you can easily track your goals on the application.

Organize your Finances for 2023 with these Fantastic Apps

An important goal for 2023 is to manage your finances better. One of the top ways to improve your financial situation is more effective management of your money. Also, what you don’t measure, you can’t manage properly. That’s why you need apps that can help you organize your finances.

Here are some of the best apps to get you started managing your finances more effectively in 2023.

Google Wallet

It can be a pain to carry your credit and store cards, tickets, and slips in your physical wallet at all times. Google Wallet seeks to help you with that issue, storing them on your mobile device. Where stores permit it, you can tap to pay or buy tickets online and then show them at the door. You can also see your balances on the virtual wallet for better budgeting.

Organize your Finances for 2023

Rocket Money – Bills & Budgets

If you need an app to help you cut down on expenses, try Rocket Money. You can record all your top monthly transactions so it can recommend how to reduce costs. Also, it’s handy when you want to cancel subscriptions with a single tap. There’s a monthly budget plan where you set different scenarios for your finances to see which will work better for you. Oh yes, you can also pay your bills.

Organize your Finances for 2023

Mint

Financial institutions will only loan you money if you have a good credit listing. Mint lets you check your credit score, so you know in advance if you qualify. You can also create goals, checking your finances every month to ensure you’re meeting them. By having the details of all your accounts in one place, you can carefully plan your budget for the next year.

Organize your Finances for 2023

Spendee – Budget and Expense Tracker Planner

One of the best ways to manage your finances is to understand where it’s all going. Spendee not only gives you a budgeting tool, but it breaks your expenses into different categories. In this way, you can decide how to reduce these costs and increase your savings. There are also detailed insights to let you find new ways to allocate your funds.

Organize your Finances for 2023

Wallet – Budget Tracker

Here’s another app for your finances that places your costs in different categories, albeit in stunning bar graphs. One of the more advanced features is that you can set budget limits for each type, making sure you don’t overspend to increase your savings. You can also add more funds to your cards at any time once you give the app access to your accounts.

Organize your Finances for 2023

Honeydue: Couples Finance

If you and your partner want to work together to combat your financial woes, you might want to try Honeydue. You’ll have online support guiding you toward a brighter future, which means less arguing between you. Both your accounts and debts will reflect on the app. You’ll both be able to see how best to deal with your finances in the coming year.

Organize your Finances for 2023

Top 10 Worst Video Game Movie Adaptations of All Time

Many of us gamers are dying to see our favorite game as a movie or TV show. While movie producers are getting better at this skill, it wasn’t always this good. We’ve had some terrible failures in the past, especially during the first attempts with terrible CGI or effects.

I’m sure you could add some of your own choices to this list. I’ve heard many people say the Silent Hill movies and Resident Evil shows with the Alice project were terrible. Strangely, I really like them. While you didn’t ask, I decided to share my list of the top ten worst game movie adaptations of all time.

Double Dragon (1994)

I was 14 years old when this movie came out. I think I had played the Double Dragon game at my local arcade, so I was quite excited to see this. Sadly, the story and action were quite bland, and it didn’t sit well on the charts or with critics either. It’s one of my least favorite movies with Mark Dacascos in. 

Double Dragon (1994)

Max Payne (2008)

While Mark Wahlberg is a spectacular actor in my books, he couldn’t save this movie. It had the Matrix bullet-time action that was in the original game, but the story didn’t quite match. Also, they decided to add some supernatural elements that had nothing to do with the game’s plot. They were probably trying to cash in on popular fantasy movies of the time, such as Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. 

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Hitman: Agent 47 (2015)

I’ve seen many people state that the first Hitman with Timothy Olifant was one of the worst video game movies, and I disagree. If anything, it would be on my top ten list of favorites. As for the sequel, I tried to watch it a few times with the same enthusiasm, and couldn’t. It just couldn’t live up to the hype.

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Super Mario Bros. (1993)

One of the earliest video game movie adaptations wasn’t all that spectacular. There was a lack of color on the screen, but it could have been due to a low budget. Not only was the movie not well received, but it suffered a financial loss due to a lack of interest.

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Wing Commander (1999)

There are several ingredients to this poorly-received movie. On the one hand, the actors didn’t perform too well, lending to a bland delivery on screen. Also, the story didn’t quite match the game’s plot, which is something that seems to happen quite often with adaptations. The enemies look terrible, but I guess we can overlook that part. Antagonists shouldn’t look pretty, right?

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Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)

I’m a MASSIVE Mortal Kombat fan. Huge. I played the very first game when it appeared in my local arcade, and then every MK title on every PlayStation console since then. I live and breathe the story in my soul. Sadly, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation sucked out my soul like Shang Tsung having a feast on Lui Kang’s spirit while watching Goro finally defeat any of earth’s champions. It was just terrible and didn’t do the games justice. Also, Christopher Lambert is the best Raidan of all time.

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Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009)

I was also a fan of the Street Fighter games, but not as much as MK. I loved the first movie, but I couldn’t make it through Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. The only reason I really tried was due to my celebrity crush on Smallville actress, Kristin Kreuk. As much as I enjoyed seeing her on the screen, the storyline needed some help that she just couldn’t save.

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BloodRayne (2005)

Another actress I love from game-movie adaptations is Kristanna Loken. She featured in the Mortal Kombat Conquest TV Show, of which I still own the original DVD set. While there’s one really sexy scene in BloodRayne, that’s about all it’s got going for it. Even though there were sequels, none of them lived up to the game.

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House of the Dead (2003)

The House of the Dead arcade machine was a hit at our local game center. Everyone loved having a shot (pun intended) at killing the enemies. As for the movie, the producer did a good job of killing the show with poor acting and script that made us snore for the most part.

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Alone in the Dark (2005)

While the first Alone in the Dark game came out before Silent Hill, I actually thought it was the other way around. It’s mostly due to me discovering the latter before the former. Be that as it may, the movie was anything but stellar, with the game developer even wanting nothing to do with it. If only it had as much suspense as the games.

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