Philosopher and author Alain de Botton shares six ways you can tell your friendship is the real deal. True friendship is about trusting one another. While acquaintances or work colleagues may hide their shortcomings from you, a friend confides in you. “They show how much they trust us by confessing failings and sorrows which would open them up to possible humiliation from the world beyond,” de Botton says. A friend gives you the gift of vulnerability, which allows you to be vulnerable in return....

Among the new features for the Android version is the ability to launch Skype on the web on your Android smartphone or tablet. Compatible Android web browsers include Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and other ​​Chromium-based browsers. Microsoft is also bringing background blurring to Skype for Android (via). This is a long-sought-after feature by Skype users. The company said it is also fixing issues with video rendering on mobile devices. Additionally, the app is getting support for audio calls via Mozilla Firefox, allowing you to use the web version of Skype on “virtually any browser....

“Because search engines are continually available to us, we may often be in a state of not feeling we need to encode the information internally,” Sparrow explained in her 2011 paper. “When we need it, we will look it up.” Storing information requires mental effort—that’s why we study before exams and cram for presentations—so unless we feel the need to encode something into a memory, we don’t try. Result: Our recollection of ostrich anatomy, and much else, dissipates like foam on a cappuccino....

A 5.3 percent YoY growth wouldn’t have been bad a couple of years back. But considering the massive slowdown that the smartphone market experienced last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, there were bigger expectations this year. And the first quarter did set the tone for strong growth. Global shipments grew a staggering 20 percent YoY in Q1 2021. However, an unprecedented semiconductor shortage, which has disrupted production and caused supply shortages globally, has crushed all the hopes of a strong 2021 for the smartphone industry....

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 to offer better energy efficiency The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 to offer better energy efficiency This information comes from Ice Universe, a well-known tipster. He shared the information via Twitter. He claims that this will be a flagship SoC with the best energy efficiency in the last 6 years of Android. That sure sounds promising. That does mean that we should get better battery life, or that companies can decrease battery sizes a bit, therefore offering us lighter devices....