All posts tagged: ways

Data-stealing cyberattacks are surging – 7 ways to protect yourself and your business

Data-stealing cyberattacks are surging – 7 ways to protect yourself and your business

Published by skeptic

BlackJack3D/Getty Images 2024 delivered some good news and bad news in the area of cybercrime. Malware-based ransomware attacks dropped for the third year in a row. But instances of infostealer malware grew dramatically. Those findings come from IBM X-Force’s “2025 Threat Intelligence Index” released Thursday. First, let’s look at the good news. For the year, ransomware accounted for just 28% of malware incidents, the third annual decline in a row. This means a decrease in malware distributed in advance of ransomware attacks. At the same time, there was a drop in attacks from many high-volume malware distributors, including Emotet, TrickBot, IcedID, Qakbot, Gozi and Pikabot. Also: Why multi-factor authentication is absolutely essential in 2025 Of course, ransomware continues to pose a significant threat. Based on an analysis of dark web activity and other factors, IBM X-Force observed a 25% rise in actual attacks last year. Among the most active ransomware families in 2024 were Akira, LockBit, Black Basta, RansomHub, and Hunters International. However, the ongoing decline in ransomware-associated malware is still a positive trend, one …

Ways Millennials Give Away Their Age Without Ever Saying A Word

Ways Millennials Give Away Their Age Without Ever Saying A Word

Published by skeptic

Every generation has its own unique set of quirks that are an ultimate giveaway as to how old they are. For boomers, it can be referring to the TV remote as “the clicker.” For Gen X, it can be using a mouse with a laptop. For millennials, it can be a variety of habits and behaviors that reveal their age without them even having to say a single word (and ones that fellow millennials will certainly recognize!) Many of the millennial generation’s quirks are adorably endearing — and we can only hope these 29 to 44-year-olds pass them down to their own kids, keeping these unforgettable eccentrities alive for generations to come! Here are 6 ways millennials give away their age without ever saying a word: 1. Getting anxious whenever they receive a voicemail Diego Cervo | Canva Pro Have urgent news you just have to tell your millennial friend about? You better text it to them. When millennials receive a voicemail, they often assume the worst. Surely someone must be dead or dying if …

five surprising ways to help children learn to write

five surprising ways to help children learn to write

Published by skeptic

It’s a milestone that leaves parents beaming with pride: the first time their child shakily writes out their own name. And it’s the start of many more key childhood moments, from Christmas lists to writing their own stories. If you’re keen to help your child learn to write, you might think about asking them to try to copy shapes, or trace over the dotted outline of a letter. But there’s a lot more that goes into writing. It requires fine motor skills using the hands – and this can be practised through threading beads, rolling playdough and stacking blocks. However, while fine motor skills play a central role in getting children ready to write, it doesn’t end there. Handwriting is a complex developmental process, and preparation for handwriting also involves the development of key gross motor skills, as well as visual-perceptual skills. I’m a researcher who works on how children learn to write. Below are five ways to help your child to prepare for handwriting that you might not have considered. Take them to the …

Three ways to win the Commercial Development of the Year

Three ways to win the Commercial Development of the Year

Published by skeptic

The South Coast Property Awards 2025 are all about celebrating the best in commercial, retail and logistical property developments. Our independent judges look forward to receiving nominations concerning all the area’s most exciting builds. At this year’s highly anticipated black-tie gala event, we’ll be naming the Commercial Development of the Year. A successful commercial development combines strategic location, market demand, sustainable design, and effective financing. It requires thorough planning, risk management, and community integration. Understanding tenant needs, offering amenities, and adapting to market trends are essential for long-term profitability and occupancy. Collaboration with stakeholders also ensures project success. But with developments across the region eligible to become a winner at this year’s event, how can you give yourself the best possible chance of taking home the trophy? Here are three things to focus on when filling in your nomination form: Innovations in your build We’re on the hunt for a project that stands out from the crowd. Our independent judges will be looking to single out nominees whose processes and end results show clear signs …

Marine Le Pen’s victim narrative is already being constructed – but there are ways to stop her criminal conviction benefitting her

Marine Le Pen’s victim narrative is already being constructed – but there are ways to stop her criminal conviction benefitting her

Published by Sam

Marine Le Pen, figurehead of France’s Rassemblement National (RN), one of the most established far-right parties in Europe, has been found guilty of embezzling funds from the European parliament. During her time as an MEP between 2004 and 2017, Le Pen and her team paid party staff with funds that should have gone to European parliamentary aides. The ruling estimates that a total of €2.9 million (£2.4 million) in European parliament funds were involved in the crimes and that Le Pen personally embezzled €474,000 of that total. She has been sentenced to four years in prison, two of which would be electronic monitoring. She is also unlikely to see the inside of a cell for the other two years as she is appealing her conviction. More importantly, perhaps, is the fact that she has been banned from holding public office for five years. Crucially, the ban is to start immediately, meaning that even with an appeal, Le Pen is highly unlikely to be able to stand as a candidate in the next presidential election in …

NFER’s 5 ways to boost school attendance

NFER’s 5 ways to boost school attendance

Published by skeptic

More from this theme Recent articles Schools should prioritise “encouraging” and “individualised” approaches to tackling absence in addition to “punitive sanctions”, says a new report. The report by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) comes as absence rates in state schools have soared from 4.5 per cent in 2016-17 to 6.9 per cent last academic year, while persistent absence rates have jumped from 10.7 per cent to 19.2 per cent. DfE figures show the absence rates are more acute in secondary schools, as well as among pupils from financially disavantaged backgrounds and those with SEND. The NFER report aimed to understand what schools with good or improving attendance figures are currently doing to support pupils to return to school after absence. It concluded that “schools should consider prioritising encouraging and individualised approaches in addition to punitive sanction”, said NFER senior research manager and co-author of the report, Matt Walker. NFER’s report is based on face-to-face interviews with staff and pupils at nine secondaries, and responses from three NFER teacher voice survey questions, answered by more …

“Cluster thinking” is damaging our politics. Here are 3 ways to beat it.

“Cluster thinking” is damaging our politics. Here are 3 ways to beat it.

Published by skeptic

Sign up for the Mini Philosophy newsletter A place to pause and reflect on life’s bigger questions, with Big Think’s Jonny Thomson. In 2023, the British philosopher Julian Baggini introduced the idea of “cluster thinking,” which is where we “assume that certain beliefs form a natural set when, in reality, they are independent of each other.” For example, test these out: Kadie is a gay rights activist. She attends rallies, organizes speeches, and petitions lawmakers about promoting gay rights. Do you think Kadie is left-wing or right-wing in her politics? Cole doesn’t believe in having sex before marriage. There have been opportunities. He’s been tested. But Cole is resolute in his pre-marital celibacy. Do you think Cole is religious or not? Mark is angry about levels of immigration. He thinks the government should bolster the borders and set tougher criteria for legal migration as well. Which way do you think Mark voted in the last election? In each case, it’s tempting to resort to “cluster thinking.” We might assume Kadie is a socialist, Cole is …

The New Yorker and Jackson Arn Part Ways after 100th Anniversary Party

The New Yorker and Jackson Arn Part Ways after 100th Anniversary Party

Published by skeptic

The New Yorker’s art critic since 2023, Jackson Arn, has been let go following complaints of “inappropriate overtures” at the magazine’s 100th anniversary party last month, according to the New York Times.  Two people who were at the event, which was held at Jean’s on Lafayette Street in Manhattan’s NoHo neighborhood, told the Times that Arn appeared “intoxicated” and that he was indecorous with “some of the guests.” Attendees at the party reportedly included the upper crust of the literary and journalistic contributors to the magazine, including former editor Tina Brown, Columbia Journalism School dean Jelani Cobb, and Art Spiegelman, the cartoonist and author of the groundbreaking graphic novel Maus.  Arn, who before the New Yorker wrote criticism for outlets like Art in America, Artforum, the Nation, and the New Statesman, succeeded art critic Peter Schjeldahl, who wrote for the New Yorker from 1998 until his death in 2022. For the New Yorker, Arn covered far-reaching corners of the art world, from tattoo conventions to Brancusi sculptures, wrote book reviews about legendary artists, and commented on the aesthetics of cult action flicks. Arn declined to comment. A spokesperson …

iOS 19 to Improve Texting With Android Users in Five Ways

iOS 19 to Improve Texting With Android Users in Five Ways

Published by skeptic

Apple this week said that it plans to add support for end-to-end encrypted RCS messages to the Messages app in future iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS software updates, and that news actually has some additional implications. As noted by 9to5Mac‘s Michael Burkhardt, Apple has indirectly confirmed that it will be adopting the RCS Universal Profile 3.0 specification, which includes not only end-to-end encryption, but also several other iMessage-like enhancements that were originally introduced in version 2.7 of the specification. iOS 18 supports RCS Universal Profile 2.4. Here are five new capabilities to expect for RCS conversations: End-to-end encryption, which will prevent Apple and any other third party from being able to read messages and attachments while they are being sent between devices, as has always been the case with iMessage In-line replies Edit messages Unsend messages Full-fledged Tapback support for RCS messages, ensuring they always work iMessage conversations with blue bubbles have supported end-to-end encryption by default since iOS 5. In addition, iMessage has supported in-line replies since iOS 14, while the options to edit …

Four ways cuts at NOAA will make weather forecasts less reliable

Four ways cuts at NOAA will make weather forecasts less reliable

Published by skeptic

A destructive tornado near Minden, Iowa in April 2024 Jonah Lange/Getty Images Widespread firings and staffing changes at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) could make the country’s weather forecasts less reliable, according to multiple researchers and the American Meteorological Society. “The consequences to the American people will be large and wide-ranging, including increased vulnerability to hazardous weather,” the organisation said in a statement. More than 880 NOAA employees have been fired under the administration of President Donald Trump, according to a statement from US Senator Maria Cantwell. That includes researchers working to improve hurricane forecasts and build the next generation of weather models, and more than 200 people within the National Weather Service, which is part of NOAA. An additional 500 people also accepted an earlier “fork in the road” offer to resign, further hollowing out the agency – which was already understaffed, according to two former NOAA employees. A spokesperson for NOAA declined to discuss the firings and staffing changes. They said the agency will “continue to provide weather information, forecasts …