How this trippy illusion will make you see an ‘expanding black hole’ | Live Science

June 9, 2022June 7, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

A brand new optical illusion tricks the majority of people into thinking that a dark “black hole” region at the center of a stationary image is rapidly expanding, as if the observer were moving toward it. Researchers now suspect that the image literally tricks the brain into thinking that the observer is moving into a darkened space, like a cave or tunnel.

The illusion consists of a large black ellipse surrounded by a dark halo on a white background filled with smaller black ellipses. Typically, as a person stares at the image, the dark elliptical region will appear to expand outward for a couple of seconds, which is why the design has been nicknamed the “expanding hole.”

How To Master Timeboxing For Increased Productivity | Lifehack

June 8, 2022June 7, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If you’re looking for ways to improve your productivity, chances are, you’ve come across a concept called timeboxing. Even if you’ve never heard the term “timebox” before, you might have come across other aspects that belong to timeboxing, such as calendar blocking and the Pomodoro Technique.

In any case, timeboxing is one of the simplest yet most effective time management strategies. And in this article, you’ll learn exactly how to apply this technique in your day-to-day life.

What Is Timeboxing?

Let’s first look at what timeboxing is. Timeboxing is a very simple concept where you give yourself a certain amount of time for a certain task. This stands in contrast to the “normal” way of working, which is to just work on a task until it’s done. You can either use your calendar and add blocks for certain tasks in your calendar, or you can simply use a timer to give yourself a deadline for your timebox.

12 red flags that your new job offer may be a scam | Fast Company

June 8, 2022June 7, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Between the Great Resignation and the layoffs of the pandemic, there are a lot of people looking for new jobs these days. And that’s presenting a ripe opportunity for scam artists.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), on Monday, issued a warning to Americans about bad actors who use fake job offers to steal money and personal information, a continuation of a heart-of-the-pandemic scam. By gathering that information, the scam artists are able to file fraudulent unemployment claims in their name, which not only costs the government, but also could significantly impact the victim’s tax bill and eligibility for future benefits.

“They promise you a job, but what they want is your money and your personal information,” says the FBI.

Are You Ready to Start a Second Business | AllBusiness.com

June 7, 2022June 5, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

For a lot of people, starting one business is the pinnacle of success. They put all their energy into launching, growing, and stabilizing that business, and assume they’ll run it until they retire.

Then there is that smaller faction of people who aren’t satisfied with birthing just one business. They may create a second, a third, or even a dozen businesses over their professional lives.

So which are you? Even if you never considered starting a second business, here are the signs that it might be time to try something new.

New Study Finds This State Has the Most Family-Owned Businesses | Small Business Trends

June 7, 2022June 5, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

What State Has the Most Family-Owned Businesses?

The study was conducted by OnDeck with the analyzed data including spouse-run businesses too. They discovered the state with the highest share of family-owned businesses is South Dakota, with 43% run by families or spouses.

Thriving Family Businesses

While South Dakota was the state with the highest amount of family-run businesses, there was one metropolitan area that had an even higher percentage. More than half of all businesses in Lima, Ohio, are family-run, with Lima’s 56% being the top figure for any U.S. metropolitan area. The state with the highest proportion of spouse-owned businesses was Idaho with 35.6%.

New York is the state with the lowest share of family businesses at just 20.4%, although New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut ran New York pretty close.

How to Create a Strong Password | business.com

June 6, 2022June 5, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

One of the easiest ways for hackers to get into your network and online accounts is by password. What’s the best way to defend yourself against cyberattacks?

Over the past 20 years, cybercriminals have devised various ways to get people’s passwords. For hackers, it’s worth the effort. To them, your password is the key to potential untold riches. If your personal password is stolen, a hacker could take out a loan in your name, make dozens of unauthorized online purchases, or install malware on your computer. If your business is compromised, the rewards may be even greater. Hackers could access sensitive information and steal your customers’ data. Considering what’s at risk, you need to know how to create secure passwords that will keep cybercriminals at bay.

How to watch SpaceX launch a cargo ship to the ISS this week | Digital Trends

June 6, 2022June 5, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

This week, a SpaceX Cargo Dragon spacecraft will travel to the International Space Station (ISS), carrying supplies and scientific research equipment to the astronauts there. NASA will livestream the launch, and we’ve got the details on how you can watch the event from home.

On Friday, June 10 at 10:22 a.m. ET (7:22 a.m. PT), a SpaceX Dragon will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will carry 4,500 pounds of cargo to the space station, which it is scheduled to arrive at on Sunday, June 12 at 6:20 a.m. ET (3:20 a.m. PT). When it arrives at the Harmony module of the space station, NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren and Bob Hines will oversee its docking with the station.

What to Know About Banner Advertising | The Startup Magazine

June 3, 2022June 2, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

There are a lot of different places you can advertise online, but also different styles of advertising. One of the most used forms of digital advertising is the banner ad. Banner ads are also called display ads. These ads function as digital billboards, using imagery to get attention. The ultimate goal of banner advertising is to drive traffic to the business site.

These ads are placed on high-traffic places on web pages to create brand awareness and also click-throughs and purchases. A high-visibility location can include the front of a webpage but also the bottom or side.

They’re good for getting attention pretty easily, and they don’t use a lot of text. Instead, banner ads rely on multimedia and images to get messages across.

If a banner is horizontal, it’s technically known as a leaderboard. Vertical banners placed on sidebars are known as skyscrapers.

Elon Musk declares end to remote working at Tesla | BBC News

June 3, 2022June 2, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Tesla boss Elon Musk has ordered staff to return to the office full-time, declaring that working remotely is no longer acceptable.

The new policy was shared in emails that were leaked to social media.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment on the messages, one of which appeared to be addressed to executives.

People who are unwilling to abide by the new rules can “pretend to work somewhere else” Mr Musk said on Twitter, when asked about the policy.

“Everyone at Tesla is required to spend a minimum of 40 hours in the office per week,” he wrote in one of the emails. “If you don’t show up, we will assume you have resigned.”

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How Airbnb, Dropbox and Reddit Got Their First Customers | Inc.com

June 1, 2022May 31, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Even when you think you have a brilliant idea, it can take some convincing to get others on board.

Just ask some of today’s most successful founders. Airbnb, Dropbox, and Reddit are just a few companies who used some far out-of-the-box strategies to get their very first customers before becoming household names. Learn from their examples. Will they work for you?

Creating a viral moment that targets a specific community

Sure, they aren’t easy to pull off, but viral moments can be crafted with some strategy and dedication. When Dropbox launched in 2007, the cloud-storage company had a hard time bringing in new users. It ran a Google AdSense campaign, but it barely made a difference. So, co-founder Drew Houston, 39, decided to show, not tell. He made a video to demonstrate exactly how its storage worked, and posted it on the news aggregator Digg. Users on Digg quickly up-voted the video, and by the next day, the site had 70,000 new sign-ups, according to Dropbox, which noted that the Digg community of avid internet-users was an ideal target.