Garry Steele

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Stories By Garry Steele

  • CS:GO New Mods And Exciting Features

    CS:GO is and has been the most popular of the CS game repertoire. CS:GO has set a stunning pace to beat in late 2016 and early 2017. The game set a record of nearly one-half million concurrent players on a single day. Even at the advanced game age of four years, players cannot beat the addiction and "new addicts" are being added to the ranks every day. An added testament to the popularity of the game is the increasing value of tournament prize pools that exceeded $1,500,000 for a single tournament in 2016 and are projected to be twice that by the end of 2017. The game design that allows the most experienced or skillful player to advance in rank and the ability to acquire more weapons and money independent of the number of players has kept the game popular. Valve, the company that created CS:GO, awoke to the need for new mods and skins for weapons that make the game more controllable, more competitive, and add a significant touch of realism to the game after what players claim was a period of lack of interest in their complaints. The continued popularity of the game, frequent user complaints, and a steady income stream has spurred Valve to be really creative in keeping the game alive in 2016 and 2017. You've probably heard that CS:GO is going customizable in new ways. Customization means each individual player gets to alter their weaponry, change the look and effectiveness of their weapons, and now even experience more of weather effects that happen in the real world of warfare. The newest twist is the introduction of the game start up mods that invoke a random weather pattern for each period and arena of play. The player will experience rain, lightening, snow, sandstorms, fog, and other weather phenomena. The idea is that a player's strategy has to adapt to weather and enemies. The added dimension of weather makes each type of player rethink how they play and what weapons they use. When we get into mods and customisation, skins for weapons are another addition that has seen more improvement and high player response. A skin does several things for a player. The skin adds some protection of precious weapons from the ravages of weather. Skins add status, rank, and bragging rights. The easiest way to find new skins is to visit one of the case opening sites. By the way, skins cost a lot. That's why knowledgeable players rarely purchase skins. You can trade for skins, steal them, or delve through unexplored enemy territory to find them. Killing for skins is also an option. This change has made skins the highest trading value item in CS:GO. Skins have rapidly replaced coin as the game currency and the gambling currency of choice that goes along with playing CS:GO these days. Final point: New additions to CS:GO have made the game increasingly more complex, entertaining, and more exciting to play.

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  • Consumer Reports Suggest Newest MacBook Pro Has Serious Battery Problems

    Apple Inc. always come up with products that can leave anyone spellbound and amazed. The products of Apple are always admired for their beautiful designs and the powerful specifications. However, the new MacBook Pro could not live up to the expectations. What is worth mentioning is that it is not because of the specifications or features. New MacBook Pro has some serious battery issues which were not witnessed in Apple's products before. The battery life of MacBook Pro was found to be very inconsistent. According to the manual, the battery has at least 10 hours battery life and in the first try, it runs around 9 to 9.75 hours. The results in the second and third trial are very astonishing. In the second trial, MacBook Pro battery could only last at an average of 4 and a half hours and on the third trial, it could last only 3 hours. This may seem as a minor issue but it has tarnished Apple's name. However, the battery life can vary from person to person based on the usage. Some people took to the social media and Apple's support forum to report the issue that the battery does not last as much as advertised. Consumer Reports also declined to recommend the device because of this issue. In the previous models of MacBook Pros, the battery time was exceptional that is why people were more excited to try out this new model. But this machine was sheer disappointment because of this battery problem. Apple in response opted to remove the battery estimate from the advertisement and the manuals. Besides the battery problem, new MacBook Pro is an exciting machine to own. It is still unknown that what exactly is causing this problem. But as per the initial reports, it is suspected that the discrete Radeon graphics chip is causing this problem, although it is not confirmed yet. For some people, battery is not a problem. They can bring an external battery and take it along wherever they go to enjoy the features MacBook Pro has in store. The display is terrific with enhanced brightness. It is much lighter than its predecessors. It is best for music and game lovers with 58 percent loud speakers and if you pay extra, a Touch Bar display above the keyboard is waiting for you that gives you a whole new way to control and manage things but there are only a few apps which integrates with this Touch Bar. These features are so attractive that some fans still can ignore the battery problem and buy MacBook Pro. But if you need more battery timings, this laptop is not for you. Based on the features and specifications, the new MacBook Pro is supercool to have but the battery issues have resulted in the downfall of it. To sum up, all the innovation of this machine ended with these battery issues. Apple will improve this laptop in future just like other products and when that happens and when it gets longer battery life and more apps integrate with the Touch Bar, MacBook Pro would be tough to beat for the competitors.

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  • 5 Exciting Technology Trends That Will Hit 2017

    With the new year of 2017 just months away, there are many tech predictions that may occur. In 2017, the future is fast approaching, and it is best to be prepared for what will arrive. Here are some of those trends that are just emerging and will become popular next year. Prepare for five of the more important tech innovations that will come with the year 2017. 1. Virtual Reality Virtual reality is fast becoming a huge deal in today's mobile world. Smartphones and portable devices make it even easier for people to interact with augmented reality. Games like Pokemon GO have popularized the gameplay features that allow digital content to be mixed in with the physical world. There are even game systems, such as the Oculus Rift, which have enhanced the ability to play games in a simulated virtual environment. This trend of virtual reality will only continue to get stronger in the year 2017. Many companies are already utilizing virtual reality features in ad campaigns. And not all of them are even tech companies. Companies like Coca-Cola and Unilever are already experimenting with using QR codes and social media to make their virtual campaigns interact with the real word. Expect to see more developments in virtual reality tech for the next year. 2. Artificial Intelligence There is no need to fear a Terminator-like uprising from artificial intelligence. Many artificial bits of intelligence are already assisting you in your day to day life. In fact, your smartphone already may have an artificial intelligence in it. Apple's Siri is an example of a virtual assistant. These virtual assistants do no need powerful devices or larger servers to start their data. Instead, many people already access their virtual assistants through cloud services. Siri and other similar software are learning more and more each day. Couple this with the advancements in coding and software development, and you get the ideal environments that artificial intelligence will thrive in. Artificial intelligence will only get smarter in 2017. 3. Self-Driving Cars Google is probably the most famous for developing self-driving cars. But other companies have already integrated self-driving capabilities in some of their cars. Tesla, for example, has already been road-testing cars that are capable of driving themselves. Self-driving cars will be one of the next big things that will come out in the next few years, with some companies actively testing their cars. 4. Fitness Technology Increasingly heart monitors and other fitness technologies are being integrated with our mobile devices. And as more health data is collected from these devices the easier it will be for doctors to understand how our bodies work. Many companies are already trying to develop medical devices that can detect cancer and other common illnesses. 5. More drones If you though the past few years saw an explosion in the use of drones, wait till you see 2017. Amazon is already experimenting with drone delivery technology. And there are companies, such as GoPro that are selling consumer friendly home use drones.

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  • Top 9 Tips For Smart and Safe Online Shopping

    Shopping in physical stores can be a huge source of stress. That's why going online can help you save a decent amount of time and keep you more relaxed too. Plus, shopping on the web is just so much quicker, affordable and convenient. Here's 9 crucial things to keep in mind when shopping from home: 1. Discounts and Promo Codes Sometimes you just have to register for an account and you will receive an instant email with a promo offer. What a great way to save money, isn't it? Another easy way to get discounts is to go to websites that list down different voucher codes you can use on popular online stores. You will find tons of those nowadays. 2. Holiday Deals For online businesses that means a massive drop in prices. Be patient and wait for Black Friday or Christmas to buy your stuff online. You will come across fantastic deals if you do. 3. Add Items to Your Wish List or Shopping Cart It's recommended to have items in your shopping cart or wish list. Why? Because companies will usually want you to buy those products. So they will send you a discount code you can use, or slash the prices of the item you have on your wish list, to motivate you to buy their product. 4. Use a Credit Card Rather Than a Debit Card Credit cards are a much better option to use on the internet. If you want to return an item and wish for a refund, you can get a refund much faster if you had paid for the item using a credit card. If you are worried about interest rates and rising costs of using a credit card, you have to make regular payments on your credit card. Doing so will prevent the increase of credit rates of your card. 5. Buy from Websites That Offer You The Best Prices You do not want to pay extra for an item. There are many websites and online stores where you can find bargain prices or cheaper alternatives to popular brand products. Amazon.com offers neverending deals on everything from socks to furniture and electronics. Through Outsmartbrands comparison website you can gain access to a catalog that enables you to find cheaper alternatives to more expensive brands. Last but not least, Ebay is fantastic for intenational buyers since you can easily sort items by "lowest price plus postage" or submit a "Best Offer". 6. Browse Around It is a brilliant idea to hold off purchasing on one online store and check other sites. You never know which store could offer the best pricing. 7. Memorize Sizes and Measures Being familiar with your waist line and their equivalent measurements for other countries is an extremely useful piece of information to remember. 8. Always Check Sites for Safety It is rather easy to avoid a scam these days. First, check sellers' feedback. Second, use services like Scamadviser. You'll never get in trouble. 9. Take Advantage of Free Returns It is inevitable that you will buy something that you regret getting. If you buy from a physical store, you can go back and return. Don't worry, the same thing applies to online purchases too. Most online stores offer free a 30-day return policy, and they are to handle the return shipping costs. For example, never hesitate to return a piece of clothing if it does not fit you.

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