Grounds Tech Talk

 OnlyOffice is an excellent software suite. OnlyOffice is a privacy-respecting, multi-platform MS Office alternative. OnlyOffice is compatible with PowerPoint, Excel, and Word documents. OnlyOffice has versions for Android, IOS, MacOS, Windows, servers, and more. OnlyOffice is also compatible with NextCloud server instances, HumHub, Confluence, and so much more.  I have used OnlyOffice for several years now (Longer than I have had this blog). I have used it for writing papers and presentations for my college classes and for data recording during my lab classes. I have found it to be an extremely reliable application. I cannot recall a single time that it crashed or corrupted a document. A huge thing that I like about it is its size. On Mac, it is less than 850mb. Many writing apps are 1gb+, which makes OnlyOffice extremely desirable.  I highly recommend OnlyOffice . ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

  Your browser's add-ons have just as much of an effect on your privacy as your browser does. Having the right, or the wrong, browser add-ons (AKA "extensions") can make or break your online privacy. Most add-ons have access to your browser tab and history, which means that anyone can know where you bank or who you know just based on tab content.  This list has no particular order. These add-ons I have used extensively and found that they all work well and I use most of them together. Privacy Badger The EFF's privacy add-on. This one does a great job of blocking trackers and ads. For Chrome For FireFox uBlock Origin UBlock Origin is a beautiful add-on that does an amazing job of blocking ads, trackers, and any other script/script content you don't want. For Chrome For FireFox Decentraleyes Deceltraleyes replaces CDN content with scripts that do not track you. It also has a really cool name. For Chrome For FireFox Ghostery I have used Ghostery for the longest o...

  I have waited to write this review for awhile, but now I'm ready! I have been using Amazon Music for a year now as a listener and artist and I love it! First of all, the X-Ray and lyrics features are fantastic! The audio quality is great.  The Amazon Music app for IOS is also great. It has so many great features like the sleep timer and X-Ray. I highly recommend Amazon Music !  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

  Where do I even start? Because Tweetbot is absolutely FANTASTIC! I use Twitter, a bit (More than I want to admit) and I have been pretty annoyed by the ads (cause ads). Then, I heard about Tweetbot. A subscription based Twitter client that is ad-free. So, I did the free trial and I fell in love with the app and ended up getting a subscription. My favorite Tweetbot features are: • Feed filters (Yes, you can filter out content from your feed) • Several preset themes that include customization • Several app icons to choose from • No ads I highly recommend Tweetbot! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ You can learn more about Tweetbot HERE . Tweetbot is available for IOS and MacOS; I have only used the IOS version.

 With the right tools, developing can be a breeze. Git Resources GitHub : GitHub is great for any developer and makes storing and managing your repositories easy. GitHub Desktop : The official desktop client for GitHub, and a great one at that! GitHub Desktop is easy to use and setup. GitAhead : GitAhead is a great git client that works with many git services. Text Editors Atom : Atom is the official text editor from GitHub, and it works amazingly! It supports extensions, themes, and add-ons. Visual Study Code : Visual Study Code is Microsoft's official text editor and it features a beautiful development interface and is easy to use.

  Last week, I got Duet Display, and it is absolutely fantastic! I use it with my iPad, Surface, and Mac. It makes have a second monitor anywhere possible. Multi-tasking has NEVER been easier. When I got Duet, I was initially looking at purchasing a battery-powered second monitor, and I am so glad that I decided to try out Duet first. Duet is just like having a secondary, touch enabled screen, but a lot cheaper (Assuming you already have an iPad). I highly recommend Duet for any student, developer, business owner, or basically anyone who uses a computer. ★★★★★ You can find Duet HERE .

  Fluid is a must have app for Mac users. Fluid allows any computer user to make an application from a website. It is essentially a PWA maker for any website. I purchased the premium version a couple months ago and I have no regrets! I have been able to add my most visited websites to my dock and app menu with ease! ★★★★★ I highly recommend Fluid for any Mac user!

  Opera GX is the best web browser that we have used. Opera GX has all of the same features as Opera and then some. Opera GX and Opera share all of the same privacy resources and sync options. The biggest difference is the customizability of GX and its optimization options. With Opera GX, users can customize the colors of the browser's UI without having to downloading extensions. Opera GX's optimization options allow users to make sure that websites do not overload their CPUs or RAM. ★★★★★ Download Opera GX here .

Check out these awesome applications! FireAlpaca FireAlpaca is a fantastic drawing and animation application that is easy to use and free! ★★★★★ Zotero Zotero is an excellent application for any student or researcher. Zotero makes citing works and keeping track of resources easy and it's free. ★★★★ Kingpin Private Browser The Kingpin Private Browser is a great application for privacy concerned individuals. It is easy to use and secure! ( $9.99 ) ★★★★

  Our suggested privacy browsers Opera GX Top features: • Free built-in VPN • Built-in ad blocker • Built-in tracker blocker • CPU, RAM, and networker limiter • Built-in ambient music player • Customizable appearance  • Built-in battery saver • Opera Add On Store • Compatible with Chrome extensions. • Built-in social messengers • Tab groups Brave Top features: • Compatible with Chrome extensions. • Built-in ad blocker • Built-in tracker blocker • BAT Rewards (Cryptocurrency reward program) • Built-in news page  • TOR capable Min Top Features: • Fast loading • Built-in ad blocker • Built-in tracker blocker • Minimalist design • Tab groups Honorable mention Fruity (Beta) Fruity is in beta and unstable. However, I suggest you still check it out. Top Features: • Minimalist design • One-click cookie delete • Auto cookie and history delete on exit • Quick links

The Uphold crypto wallet and card are brilliantly produced services that any person or small business should utilize. I have been using Uphold for officially one year, and there is not a single thing that I don't like! Uphold makes trading cryptocurrencies easy and simple, unlike other services. Uphold most recently introduced support for environmental asset trading, revolutionizing the environmental and cryptocurrency worlds. Their primary environmental asset is the UPCO2 carbon token. Uphold's services and apps are ★★★★★ Learn more about Uphold here .

  Cryptomator is a must have data security tool. Cryptomator lets anyone secure their data on their devices or clouds. I have found that Cryptomator works very well with Microsoft OneDrive, flash drives, and built-in storage. With Cryptomator, you don't have to worry about your cloud storage solutions reading or stealing your information. ★★★★★ Find Cryptomator here .

 Keybase is an excellent data security tool. Keybase is an excellent tool for encrypted chat and file storage. Keybase's file storage includes a way to host a website securely through the company. The Keybase website is also available as an Onion site . This means that people can securely access the service without their IP being seen. I highly recommend using Keybase . ★★★★★

  Oracle VM VirtualBox is a great resource for anyone! VirtualBox is a virtual machine that allows users to run a secondary operating system as an application. I have been using it with the Ubuntu operating system. So fare, I have found that all Ubuntu applications except the SnapStore work well when running the OS on a virtual machine.  VitualBox is the ultimate tool for multi-platform developers or households. ★★★★ Find VirtualBox here .

  Initial impression: Informative, easy to setup, enjoyable Analysis: First of all, the setup process is easy to use and separates free sources from paid (unlike other feed apps or sites). Newsadoo has a wide variety of sources including but not limited to TechCrunch, Vice, the New York Post, and other big name sources. The mobile app also has a "build your own" channel feature. This feature is really nice and is probably the highlight of the entire product. Overall, Newsadoo is a beautiful application with many features and no obvious bugs. Newsadoo is the highest quality feed app/service I have used yet. Newsadoo is a definite 5/5. ★★★★★ Find Newsadoo HERE .

My three favorite CSS libraries: Bootstrap Bulma UIKit Bootstrap Boostrap has many nice features and is supported by many drag and drop platforms. Bulma Bulma is easy to use and implement. It is no where as big as Bootstrap. UIKit UIKit has many great features and is lightweight. However, it does not have many features, but it is easy to customize.

  IOS 14 is one of the best mobile OS ever. The latest version of Apple's IOS introduces many new features. My favorite new features are, the app library, conversation pins, and home screen widgets.  The app library makes it possible to have a simplified home screen. You can take the apps that you do not use very often and place them in the library. This makes your home screen one app cleaner.  IOS 14 app library Conversation pins are another fantastic feature. This allows you to put you favorite/most texted conversations at the top of your iMessage app. IMessage also has improved message filtering. There are now three primary pages in iMessage, "all messages", "known senders", and "unknown senders". Home screen widgets, the feature mentioned long ago that we have been waiting for, are finally here. With home screen widgets, you can put an Activity preview, your stock info, or even a Duck Duck Go search bar. Home screen widgets allow iPho...

  Minds is a revolutionary social/micro-blogging platform. Minds has a unique way of encouraging users to create excellent content - cryptocurrency. When users like posts, the creator of the posts obtains a percentage of a Minds Token. Same thing happens when someone re-Minds (Re-post/share) a post or comments on it.  I think that Minds and platforms like it are the future of social media and the internet. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Learn more about Minds HERE!

 The LuxCoreRender rendering engine is amazing. This feature full render engine could easily take on many of the industry standard render engines. The LuxCoreRender engine can import settings from Cycles and can render slightly faster. It has its own uniqe features that make it extremely useful and great for any project. ☆☆☆☆ (I have only used this engine with Blender3D) Learn more about it HERE!

 Parler is a text-oriented social platform like Twitter. Parler has many of the same features as Twitter. Parleys (posts), Direct Messages, private accounts, public accounts, user verification, etc. What makes Parler unique, is its lack of censorship. Parler censors inappropriate content like explicit images and threats. However, they do not censor what other social platforms call "hate speech". The purpose of Parler is to be a place where conservatives and liberals can post their opinions freely and not worry about being censored for having a unique opinion. ☆☆☆☆ Check it out HERE