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Showing posts from July, 2019

FaceApp: Ready to face the security and privacy issues?

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FaceApp,  the  AI-powered selfie-editing app  that’s been having another viral moment of late, has now responded to a privacy controversy that we covered earlier  here . You can find the company’s full statement at the bottom of this post. The tl;dr here is that concerns had been raised that FaceApp, a Russian startup, uploads users’ photos to the cloud — without making it clear to them that processing is not going on locally on their device. Another issue raised by FaceApp users was that the iOS app appears to be overriding settings if a user had denied access to their camera roll, after people reported they could still select and upload a photo — i.e. despite the app not having permission to access their photos. As we reported earlier, the latter is actually allowed behavior in iOS — which gives users the power to choose to block an app from full camera roll access but select individual photos to upload if they so wish. This isn’t a conspiracy, thou...

How does FaceApp: AI photo editor work?

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FaceApp is a free app that can be downloaded to your device from the AppStore or Google Play. Currently, there are 21 free filters in the basic version. Recently, the app has gone viral again with a lot of celebrities posting pictures of their older selves created using the app. In fact, this has started an entirely new challenge called the FaceApp challenge on various social media channels like Twitter and Instagram. Amidst all this virality, there is one question I am sure a lot of you might be asking right now. How does this FaceApp work? To be honest this question would occur in anyone's mind. Even more so because the app is doing such a tremendous job of creating life-like pictures. We tried contacting the developers to know more about this, but they did not give out any details. (Duhh). But, fret not. We did not stop just there. We have been talking to a lot of people, and following similar questions being asked on other  similar places . Below, we pr...

How to hack (reverse engineer) an Android App

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What do we mean when we talk about  hacking  or  cracking Android apps to get their paid versions for free or to remove ads or enable paid features? How do so many websites give away premium apks and apps for free? How do they crack them? The answer to all of these questions is just 2 words -  Reverse Engineering.  Reverse engineering refers to the art of opening up an application or a piece of software from the bottom up; that is, peeling it layer by layer until we reach the very core mechanisms of the app. At this point, we can figure out ways in which various app components work together and look at exploits to take advantage of these interdependencies. Now, let's look at how we can reverse engineer an Android app. Getting the APK file The first step to reverse-engineering an app, is to get the apk file. Android apps (or APKs) are really just ZIP files with a new extension. Inside is everything the app needs to run—from the code to any media i...

How can Vegetarians meet their daily protein requirement?

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Use supplements . Drink lots of milk. Take lots of Yogurt and cottage cheese (paneer). Eat pulses, beans. Eat quinoa seeds. Peas are also great for you! Another highly recommended way to get your daily protein, especially if you do not get enough time to cook is to take skimmed milk . The advantages of taking skimmed milk: No need to worry about purity. Cheaper than buying an equivalent amount of milk (in Amul packets, for example). Very easy to prepare and take with you: Just mix 6-8 spoons in a glass of water and you are good to go. Can be carried with you wherever you want. Sometimes, however there is an issue with some brands where the product does not mixwell or has bad taste. I have had such bad experiences myself. I tried a lot of brands and finally settled on this one: Amirthaa Skimmed Milk Powder . This is a good product, available at a great price and tastes decent too. I am also attaching a handy chart to help you choose which sources ...

Creatine: Should you take it? Dosage, advantages and myths debunked

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Until a while ago, even mentioning the word creatine to an average gym goes would mean blasphemy. People wh=oul think you are taking steroids. They'd all start warning you about how you are setting up for disaster, and how your kidneys are going to ditch you any day soon. However, with recent research, it has been proven that creatine has ABSOLUTELY NO SIDE effects in healthy individuals and, in fact, helps boost performance. Benefits: Helps Muscle Cells Produce More Energy. Supports Many Other Functions in Muscles. Improves High-Intensity Exercise Performance. Speeds Up Muscle Growth. May Help With Parkinson's Disease. May Fight Other Neurological Diseases. May Lower Blood Sugar Levels And Fight Diabetes. How does creatine work? This diagram from muscleandstrength.com explains very beautifully the working of the creatine. It's fairly simple and requires really no elaboration on my part. Dosage Instructions Creatine is generally 'loaded...

How to choose a weightlifting belt

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Should I be wearing a weightlifting belt? If you squat and deadlift regularly (which you should!), then the answer to the question above is a big YES. A weightlifting belt is designed for just about anyone who aims to squat or deadlift as much as they possibly can. (Image credits: bodybuilding.com) A weightlifting belt is designed for just about anyone who aims to squat or deadlift as much as they possibly can. Who shouldn't wear a belt is a longer answer. You shouldn't use a belt if you: Don't use a belt if you find it hinders your movement. If a belt affects how deep you can catch a clean or snatch, you'd probably be better served just to build your strength without a belt. In weightlifting, the low man usually wins. Don't use a belt if you have a heart condition or other health condition that could be made worse by the increased blood pressure and intra-abdominal pressure induced by wearing a belt in the first place. Also, please don't wear a belt if yo...

Review: Sinew Nutrition Raw Whey Protein Concentrate 79% Unflavoured

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Intense physical activity is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Hitting the gym, running sprints, playing a sport that requires you to actively run (golf and table tennis don't count), swimming, uphill biking - all of these are intense physical activities that do tons for your body. They help keep your hormones in balance, don't let your body accumulate fat, and, provide the heart with a good daily exercise. Read more here. Now, what do you do after you have burnt all those calories and exercised sufficiently? The same thing that you do after you empty your Ferrari's tank - Refuel. Proper nutrition is VERY IMPORTANT if you wish to be able to recover and grow from the physical stress you put on your body. I have highlighted the importance of good nutrition and protein in my posts here. Check it out if you haven't. In this review of  Sinew Nutrition Raw Whey Protein Concentrate 79%, 3 Kg (Unflavoured) I will talk about my experience of using this...

How to lose weight: Weightloss 101

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The one question that pops up at least a thousand times, no matter what conference, seminar or talk show you go to: How can I lose weight?  The one question that pops up at least a thousand times, no matter what conference, seminar or talk show you go. Today, let's get this mystery resolved once and for all. Losing weight, like most things in life, is very simple. Simple, not easy. EAT LESS!  To be able to lose weight, all you need to do is eat fewer calories than you eat.   Do this every day for a month and I (and several other researchers) guarantee that you will lose weight.  Let's put this in an equation:  Caloric deficit = Daily Calorie requirement - Calories consumed + Calories burnt Let's analyze the three parts of this equation one by one: Caloric deficit: This is the deficit in the number of calories that you feed to your body. The greater the deficit, the quicker youo will lose weight, however, if the deficit is t...

Money: Step One - Learn to Build

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The biggest question whenever we talk about wealth and money and being rich is:  How to get money? There are tons of people all over the internet telling you to do this and do that. To invest in X fund, to buy Y stock, or to give the money to Z fund manager. But, hardly anyone tackles the most fundamental question - where do you get the money to start with? Tell me how to get money! The answer to this question is fairly simple. Note, I say simple and not easy.  In order to obtain money, and in turn change it into wealth, you need to create VALUE. It is in exchange of the value that you create that you will be rewarded by the universe.  So, what is value? And, how can I create value? Money works on the simple principle of supply and demand. If you possess something that is in high demand, your possession is valuable. If you possess a lot of this in-demand thing, you become a high value person. You have the supply, and in exchange for providing the...

Build: Learn to Code!

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Learn to code: Python is the best choice. Very scalable. Easy to grasp. Plenty of help available online.

Never Settle for the Average

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Being mediocre is a crime. There, I said it. Mediocrity is boring. Mediocrity is common. Mediocrity kills individuality. And the only thing that is worse than mediocrity is SETTLING for mediocrity. What do you mean?   What went wrong? Human beings were able to evolve and separate themselves from chimps because they did not settle. they constantly evolved and improved, and here we are today. Recall the time when you were younger- 6 years old. You were a kid who was always looking to learn. Finding out something new every day. Always looking to grow - even if it meant you could get hurt. When you couldn't walk, you never gave up. It did not matter to you even if you fell down and it hurt a little. You grew older, you tried to play with kids around you - maybe you got hurt sometimes; a bruise here, a little cut there. But, That did not keep you from going back to play again the next day. When you were younger, you always wanted to be the best. The best footballe...

Conquer your mind, upgrade your Body, build long-term Wealth

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Welcome to Mind Muscle Money! Before you read any further ask yourself the following three questions:  What is it that I desire the most right now? What is it that I desire the most for myself 15 years from now? What is it that I desire to accomplish in this life? Make sure you answer every one of these questions in a single word (or 2 words at most). Take a while if you have to. Think well, the answers you give might seem unachievable to you right now. Does not matter. Remember these answers until the end of this article. Write it down somewhere if you need to. Now, you're ready to read further. This website will be built on three pillars: Mind, Muscle (fitness) and Money. Why these three you ask? Glad to explain! Consider for a moment that the forces in the universe are feeling kind today and you are the sole object of their gifts. If you were to close your eyes right now, and suddenly have 10 million dollars dropped into your lap, how would you like it? ...