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Memers are Making Deepfakes, and Things are Getting More Weird

Memers are Making Deepfakes, and Things are Getting More Weird

The advancements in communication technology in the last few years have brought down the costs significantly. It has provided ease of access to the internet to the maximum number of people. This increase in internet usage in the world has increased the entertainers also. Social media websites provide a platform for every user to share anything they want. Creating and sharing memes is the most common form of entertaining other people on social networks, and there are many types of memes. One such form of memes is Deepfakes.

What is a Deepfake

Memers are Making Deepfakes, and Things are Getting More Weird
Image: TheTimes.Co.Uk

Deepfake is a viral meme and synthetic media in which a person’s look in an image or video is replaced by someone else’s look. It means you replace your ‘look’ in a video or an image with someone else’s ‘look’ — like with that of some celebrity. Surprisingly, it is also easy and completely free to create Deepfakes. These media manipulation tools are based on artificial intelligence and are available for free over the web.

Grace Windheim, a YouTuber, made a video tutorial to make a meme using Deepfakes. On one level, this media manipulation phenomenon may be entertaining and ‘good’ for parody but is also raising concerns about its potential misuse. This method has already been used to harass people, especially women, by swapping their faces into adult videos. Though they still look fake and are obviously fake too, but the technology may improve in the future.

The YouTuber also says that the tools can be used to make any type-of Deepfake that makes it susceptible to abuse. She also points out that there is a very ‘thin’ line between using Deepflakes for memes and to harm.

Deepfakes Algorithm is Open Source

After the Deepfake video of a YouTuber lip-synching to a song called “Baka Mitai” went viral, many other internet users used that video to create Deepfakes. Deepfakes with the faces of Barack Obama and Thanos singing the song went viral. These Deepfakes were created using a particular Deepfake algorithm that came from a 2019 research paper. The research paper was presented at NeurIPS, the largest annual AI conference. Many memes are circulating over the internet on various social media platforms, especially TikTok.

Google introduces the new Objectron dataset to aid ML with video clips

Google AI

In March, Google introduced MediaPipe Objectron, a collection of mobile-centric real-time 3D object detection models. It was trained on a real-world 3D dataset with fully-annotated images. It was capable of predicting 3D bounding boxes of any objects. Bounding box is a 3D box with vertical and horizontal lines carved around an object in augmented reality in simple terms. Machine Learning has made exceptional advancements in achieving the highest level of sophistication when trained solely on photos.

Machine learning is a branch of computer science that focuses on building programs capable of learning from data, identifying patterns, and making decisions based on data. It is essential to keep track of your data model to make sure that it gives good recommendations and predictions.

This can be a time-consuming process, but it is vital to keep accurate records of your data models. With model monitoring, machine learning can help reduce the time and resources needed to monitor and update models.

Monitoring models allows real-time checks of the accuracy of models and can be used to implement adjustments and improvements. That is why it is vital to keep an eye on your data model.

Google announces Objectron Dataset

On November 9, Google released its next-gen Objectron Dataset that uses a trove of short, object-centric video clips. The dataset captures a plethora of dataset of common objects from different angles. According to the statement made by Google, each video clip enlisted on Objectron dataset arrives with AR session metadata which can provide additional information. This includes sparse 3D point-clouds and different camera poses.

Google Objectron dataset
Image Courtesy: Google AI Blog

The researchers at Google manually annotated the bounding boxes around the objects manually. It further carries information related to the object’s orientation, position, and dimensions. Google has shipped a dataset of 15,000 manually annotated video clips with Objectron Dataset. A trove of 4 million annotated images are present in the dataset. Google used a geo-diverse sample with dataset from 10 countries spread across five continents.

3D Object Detection Model

Google is also sharing the 3D object detection solution for mugs, chairs, shoes, and cameras with it. All the models are released on Google’s MediaPipe Objectron which in-turn is an open-source framework for ML solutions on a cross-platform. The dataset released recently has a two-stage architecture with TensorFlow Object Detection model as the first stage. It locates a 2D crop of any object which is then fed to the second stage. The model then uses the crop predict a 3D bounding box around the object. The system repeats the process for the next frame in a video.

3D detection solutions
Image Courtesy: Google AI Blog

The evaluation metrics that the 3D Object Detection uses 3D intersection over union (IoU). Here, an algorithm computes 3D IoU values of any 3D-oriented boxes. The 3D detection solution finds intersection points between faces of two boxes using Sutherland-Hodgman Polygon clipping algorithm. The volume of the intersection is calculated using the convex hull of the clipped polygons. Next up, IoU is a computer from the union of two boxes and the volume of the intersection.

Google has already uploaded all the details related to the new Objectron dataset on its website. It also includes datasets for varied categories of objects. The format includes video sequences, annotation labels with 3D bounding boxes, and AR metadata. It further carries data on processed datasets, scripts to run the evaluation, and finally, scripts to load data in Jax, PyTorch, and TensorFlow in order to visualize the dataset.

A Guide on How to Become a Pro Gamer in Rust

pro gamer

Without a doubt, Rust is one of the best online multiplayer survival games available. The game is competitive, and it is unquestionably a joy for people who enjoy multiplayer games. The world of Rust is likely to overwhelm a novice player.

Rust is all about staying alive. So, if this is your first-time using Rust or improving your skills, be sure to follow this article. This guide will teach you all you need to know to become a total survival expert and follow these rust cheats.

How to become a Pro Gamer in Rust

The Service Providers

The first significant decision you’ll have to make before starting the Rust game is which server to play on. If you’re a new player, joining a server with many other people is probably not a good idea. If you do this, you are likely to become discouraged fast because you will not be able to endure long in the face of highly talented players.

Instead, look for a server that is appropriate for your skill level. You may easily do this by heading to the menu’s ‘community servers’ option and looking for a good server for beginners or practice.

Your Foundation

It’s all about making the right decisions and employing the best methods in this game. You’ll need to select a suitable location to set up a base and hide. The base should ideally be surrounded by essential resources that will aid your progress in the game. For a firm foundation, you’ll want to concentrate on accumulating a large amount of wood.

The greatest site to create a base, for example, needs to be in the woods or near an old town, where you’ll find plenty of resources and, more importantly, protection. Also, keep in mind that the foundation you create will deteriorate over time. As a result, you’ll need to be proactive in maintaining and caring for your base.

It is preferable to build two or more rooms with closed doors to store your possessions rather than one large one. To prevent theft, it is a good practice to lock your doors behind you if you want to go outdoors, just like you would in real life. There is nothing more devastating in Rust than losing your whole collection of items.

Make cautious not to keep all of your stuff in a single base, as you may come to regret it later. It’s preferable to keep your things on multiple bases and, more significantly, give the impression to other players that you don’t have many items or resources.

Monuments

If you’re a new player, starting with little monuments is preferable because they have no radiation. Small monuments also have a small and fair amount of loot. Protective gear found in these loots will assist you in preparing to enter radioactive monuments and abandoned structures.

Focus on Your Goal

You can begin by practicing on an aim training server found in the modded server area. You should aim for the head like you should in any online multiplayer or first-person shooter game. It’s pointless to shoot at the knees in Rust. The player may bleed blood, but they will not suffer any damage or lose health.

If you find yourself on a server with many experienced players or cheats and want to win the game at all costs, you should consider employing one of the various rust hacks available.

Farming

In this game, you’ll be performing a lot of farming. The majority of professional players advise that farming should be done in moderation. While a player can take some time off and acquire many resources, this time is worthless if they perish right after putting in all the effort.

Campfires and torches

Nothing is worse than walking about with a torch at night and being an easy target for your opponents. One of the differences between a beginner and an experienced player is the latter knows how to take advantage of the dark.

Additionally, when lighting a campfire at night, exercise caution. Make every effort to complete your cooking during the day, if at all possible. Keep track of how much food you have on hand and how much you’ll need to cook to survive and endure longer.

Final Thoughts

If you follow all of the tips and practices in this guide, you will be well on your way to being a successful professional gamer. Always place a high priority on mastering the fundamentals before moving on to more sophisticated plans and techniques.

Google Releases MediaPipe Iris for Accurate Iris Estimation

Google Releases MediaPipe Iris for Accurate Iris Estimation

In today’s digital world, most real-world applications like computational photography and augmented reality effects depend on estimating the eye position by tracking the iris. The accurate iris tracking can then be used to determine the metric distance from the camera to the user. This is done even without using a dedicated depth sensor by the use of machine learning.

Google has announced the release of MediaPipe Iris for accurate iris estimation. This machine learning model is based on MediaPipe Face Mesh. MediaPipe Iris (GitHub)  can track the iris, pupil, and the eye contours without the need for any specialized hardware. A single RGB camera present in the device does the thing in real-time. Then this model uses these Iris Landmarks to determine the metric distance between the subject and the camera pretty accurately.

Is MediaPipe Iris Accurate & Safe

As per the Google Blog, MediaPipe Iris measures the metric distance with a relative error of less than 10% without the use of a depth sensor.

Google has also clarified that the iris tracking does not provide any form of identity recognition. The system uses MediaPipe, an open-source framework developed by Google for researchers and developers to build world-class ML applications. It runs on most modern mobile phones, laptops, desktops, and even on the web.

Depth Estimation from a Single Image

MediaPipe Iris Distance Determination
Image: Google

Google boasts that its iris-detection model determines the distance of the camera to a subject with less than 10% error. The fact that the horizontal iris diameter remains roughly constant at 11.7±0.5 mm across a wide range of population, the model exploits this value along with some other geometric arguments. Using the EXIF data of the image, the ML model uses different parameters to determine the distance of the person from the camera.

MediaPipe Iris Release

Google Releases MediaPipe Iris for Accurate Iris Estimation
Image credits: Google Blog

Google is releasing the iris and depth estimation models as a cross-platform MediaPipe pipeline. This means that it can run on all devices — desktop, mobile, and the web. The Iris ML pipeline will run locally in the browser, without sending any data to the cloud. This guarantees the privacy of the users and makes sure the user has full control over his data.

Top 5 Best Review Sites in 2022

review site

In 2022, it is critical that every business knows the significance of an online review, whether large or small. As the name suggests, a review site reviews goods, products, and services used majorly by consumers.

Customers care about reviews since they can use them to purchase a commodity or utilize a service. For that reason, businesses must establish an online presence, cover their bases, and grow positive online reviews to grow as a brand. The key to doing so is magnifying the positive testimonials, addressing criticism, and boosting customer brand confidence online.

There are many review sites on the internet, but we have compiled a list of what we feel are the top five essentials to enhancing your online reputation this year.

Google

Google may be known first as a search engine, but it is no surprise that it is also top among the most prominent review sites. Today, Google must be the king when it comes to the review ecosystem. You can think of it as the digital Yellow Pages for many businesses.

With Google search, customers are provided with in-depth information about companies such as hotels and restaurants. This includes details on the location, prices, business pictures, and customer feedback. With that, business owners must ensure that their businesses look excellent on Google.

Google receives billions of searches every day and has multiple functionalities across various devices. For the most part, we can agree that Google reviews are more visible than those posted on other sites. With a simple business search, a Google review always pops up. Its robust algorithm enables businesses to blend the functionality of their location (Google Maps) with the potential customer searches within a vicinity. For a business to respond, they need verification on Google My Business (GMB).

Facebook

If you have used Facebook, you know it is the largest social media site globally. It is also the most prominent review site that follows Google closely. If your business has a Facebook account, it can get more visibility since the platform has billions of users. The unique part about Facebook is that as opposed to using a 5-star rating system, it gives customers and users the binary system options to recommend or not recommend a business.

Being a global-scale social network, Facebook offers massive opportunities for businesses. The platform also has excellent functionality to run paid ads that specifically target your significant demographics. Through that, you can increase your chances of visitor conversions. What’s more, Facebook allows every business type out there to set up shop.

Better Business Bureau (BBB)

This is one of the most trusted platforms when it comes to business reviews and ratings. BBB rates businesses using an A to F scale, depending on various aspects. The factors used comprise business reviews, mentioned complaints, and how a company responds. Since the platform is widely trusted, any rating or review given for a business can significantly impact it.

BBB’s accreditation process works to show consumers that they can trust a particular company. It offers a guarantee to consumers that a business does its best to resolve any complaints raised and also in responding to inquiries. With paid accreditation, you gain more online exposure, access to webinars and workshops, and a lot more.

The Absolute Dater

If you are planning to get back into the dating world but are not sure what app to choose, you might want to check out The Absolute Dater. This is a great website for people who are looking to find their soulmate (or just someone to flirt with) because it offers full reviews on dating apps and sites.

The reason why I chose the The Absolute Dater as one of the best review sites in 2022 is because it doesn’t only focus on the popular apps and sites like Tinder, for example. It also takes a look at sites that operate on the “freemium” plan. Here is where you usually end up dealing with scammers. Luckily, you can read their full reviews and avoid any type of issue.

Yelp

Yelp may not be as mighty a review site as it initially was, but the fact is that it is still a big player in the ecosystem. It is still prevalent among consumers. Yelp is no longer just for restaurants and offers reviews for various industries and businesses. It provides a five-star scale, and you can freely set a profile as a user or business.

Through Yelp, companies, especially those in close geographical locations or local neighborhoods, can promote what they have to offer to new and already existing customers for more visibility. The business profile provides details about location, contacts, and store hours. You can also find health inspection covers.

Final Thoughts

Customer reviews can be the ones to grow or make a business lag. They help other customers gauge the quality of a product, good, or service before deciding to engage or make a purchase. Through review sites, the task has been made easier for potential consumers. For any business to be recognized in 2022, it must be highly visible online. There’s no better way to achieve this than through customer reviews. If you are a business owner looking to grow your business this year, optimize it to be visible on the four review sites mentioned above.

What Are Some Good Data Science Projects

data science

Data science is a vast field and it brings a wide range of tools, processes, algorithms, and knowledge extraction systems. It gives you a wing to analyze and modify the raw data to structured data patterns. Data science has been a booming sector for the last few years and it is pushing you to the Artificial Intelligence domain. As it is helping in various innovations, the data science domain has reached the next level. As the industry realizes the importance and power of data science, this domain is gaining more opportunities to surface in the market.

If you are planning to take up the course in data science or Artificial Intelligence, there are various online and offline places where you can learn from basics to specializations in data science. Cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai have various offline centers and universities that are offering specialization courses in data science with certification from top universities and they also offer placement assistance for students. Apart from top universities, various educational centers are offering Data science courses in Mumbai with placement assistance. For other cities and other locations, they can choose to have online classes. These online classes also offer valid certifications, online assistance, placement assistance.

With the continuous growth of data science, it has become a promising career path for many people. Many ambitious professionals are changing their careers to the data science domain. It is one of the most exciting options for everyone. More opportunities are emerging in the market and the industry, recognizing the value of data science. If you want to become a data scientist, learn more about the technology. Develop your abilities to understand and manage the upcoming situations and difficulties. Understanding the theoretical subjects can give you knowledge about the subjects, but the real-time projects will give you experience with knowledge about the subject. So it is always recommended to participate in live projects which enhance your confidence and technical experience. More than everything, your live project experience will help you to land a solid job. So choosing the right project is always important and project ideas need to be appropriate for different levels of learners.

Understanding what the industry requires is important while choosing the live project. It can be quite confusing at the beginning, but with constant practice, you can soon begin to understand the industry requirement. You can come up with various ideas to make your project by using various tools and languages like Python and R. Make sure your project idea will help you to land up in your dream job and it is based on your data science career. Here we have listed out some of the famous data science project ideas with source codes

Fake news detection

Fake news is one of the common problems of this new internet era. We are in such a stage, it is difficult to identify which is real news and fake news. It is easy getting spread through unauthorized sources, which is eventually creating issues for the targeted person. Through Python, we can create a data science project, where we can combat the spread of fake news. It is crucial to determine the legitimacy of the information. You can create the model using TfidfVectorizer.We can distinguish between real and fake news by implementing PassiveAggressiveClassifier.

  • Data set – News.csv
  • Python packages – NumPy, sci-kit-learn, Pandas.

Forest Fire Prediction

One of the major issues which global warming is facing is forest fires. Even though technology has progressed far, we are unable to predict wildfires and forest fires. The loss is not only for humans, it is also a danger for wild animals. Every year we are witnessing the massive wildfire in some parts of the globe and every wildfire incident causes a huge amount of damage to nature, wildlife habitat, and human property. Developing a project for the identification of forest fire systems exhibits your skill set in data science. You can use k-means clustering to identify major fire hotspots and their severity, behavior of the wildfire.

  • Data set: meteorological data or climatological data.

Finance fraud detection

Banking fraud, credit card fraud, and internet banking frauds are more common than you think these days. These frauds are increasing day by day. With the high usage of internet banking, credit card, and digital transactions, the number of these frauds has increased dramatically lately. Thanks to the innovations, with the help of artificial intelligence, Machine learning, and data science, financial companies can detect these frauds successfully with accuracy. By using Python, you create a project which is related to this kind of fraud.

  • Language: Python or R
  • Dataset: Database on banking transactions.

Recommender Systems( Online channels)

This is one of the cool projects for you to consider as a project. Have you ever thought about how these online channels like youtube, Netflix, Prime videos, or any other online channels show you the recommendation to watch? Based on your previous watchlist, these channels list down some of the videos as a recommendation. Well, you can create this cool tool by using the R language called recommender/recommendation system. Before you create this cool system, you need to consider several metrics like age, genre, watching frequency and feed them into a Machine learning model, and then generate what the user might like to watch next. You can create content-based recommendation systems or a  collaborative filtering recommendation system.

  • Language – R
  • Dataset: MovieLens
  • Packages: recommenderlab, ggplot2, data.table, reshape2

We will also recommend some of the other cool project ideas to build such as

  • Coronavirus visualisations
  • Visualizing climate change
  • Web traffic forecasting using time series
  • Customer Segmentation
  • Speech Emotions
  • Exploratory Data Analysis
  • Sentiment Analysis
  • Developing Chatbots
  • Diabetic Retinopathy.

We tried covering fun and interesting data science project ideas for you. You can source codes from Github for your projects. These projects will help you to understand the technology better and industry requirements. Being one of the hottest and most demanding domains in the industry, data science holds a bright future for every aspirant. To make the most out of it, use better opportunities, be prepared to take on a challenge. Attend networking events and start interacting with industry people to get more ideas. Use more data science toolbox, create your data science solutions, follow the steps from beginner to advanced. All the Best.

Live Roulette vs land based — which comes out on top

online slot game

When you picture a casino, you probably imagine a room filled with Slots, table games and of course, Roulette wheels. Let’s be honest, what would the casino be without an iconic game of Roulette?

The first game of Roulette is believed to have been played in the 18th century and since then, the game’s popularity has only continued to grow, still prevailing as a favourite among players today.

However, the game has received quite a makeover since it was first conceived, since you can now play Live Roulette at an online casino. It’s up to you how you choose to play Roulette, but if you need some help deciding, this article will compare Live Roulette and land-based games, to find out which prevails.

Live Roulette

If you’ve never experienced live casino games, then you’re in for a treat. Of course, one of the best things about an online casino is the convenience of the games. You can dip into a game wherever, whenever you choose — providing you have a stable internet connection.

But you might be missing that glitzy casino atmosphere, that you get when you walk into a land-based venue. This is where Live Roulette comes in. In a live game, you’ll be playing in real time, in the company of a professional dealer.

You can interact with the dealer, along with all of the other players in the game using the live chat function, making the game a social occasion, without having to leave the house.

Your actions on your device will correspond with the dealer’s moves on screen. This means that when you place your bets, the dealer will recognise your decision and act accordingly, spinning the Roulette wheel. If you’re looking for a magical, immersive casino experience, then Live Roulette will deliver just that.

Land-based Roulette

Sometimes, there’s nothing better than experiencing things as they were intended and in the case of Roulette, that means playing in a land-based casino.

You’ll be able to scrub up, adorn your glad-rags and perhaps make it a social occasion, by visiting with a group of friends. You’ll all be on the edge of your seats as you gather around the table to watch the wheel spin, in the hope of winning some exciting prizes!

The UK is home to some truly impressive casino venues, including the Hippodrome Casino in London, the Victoria Gate Casino in Leeds and the Rainbow Casino in Birmingham. Why not organise a trip to one of these incredible casinos and try a classic game of Roulette for yourself!

It’s clear there are benefits to both playing Roulette online and by visiting a land-based casino. If you still haven’t decided which is your preferred way to play, thankfully, you don’t have to choose!

Think about it — you could be playing a spot of online Roulette on the go, on a casino site’s app, whilst you travel to one of the UK’s best casino venues. You can play however you like, just remember to stay safe and have fun!

Six Most Popular Slot Themes for Gamers

online slot game

Innovators of the online casino industry have come up with a wide variety of slot themes that are sure to keep players entertained and wanting more.  There are new trends, new gameplay, and new appealing visual themes that wagers love at an online casino.

These themes are just as important as the games themselves when it comes to keeping players engaged. They make players feel relaxed and comfortable while playing their favorite slots.

This article highlights the most popular themes in the online gaming world today. Read ahead to learn more about each theme and why it creates a whole difference in the casino industry.

1. Classic Slots

Perhaps Classic Slots is the most well-known type of slot theme. It’s been around for decades and has become one of the most widely played types of slots. This is because it offers simple gameplay and can be enjoyed by all ages. The themes on classic slots include fruit machines, originals, sports slots, and jewels.

2. Fantastic Slot Themes

The fantastic slot themes are very similar to classic slots but offer some unique features. Some of these include bonus rounds, free spins, progressive jackpots, and many others. Some of the best examples of fantastic slots include ice age slots, horror slots, underwater slots, and pirate slots.

3. Cultural Slot Themes

The cultural slot themes are based on different cultures. For example, there are Indian-themed slots, Asian-themed slots, and African-themed slots. Each of these themes will feature different symbols and designs. Some of the most popular ones include Arabian Nights, Egyptian Pharaohs, Mayan gods, and Aztec Warriors.

4. Branded Slot Themes

The branded slot themes are based on famous brands. Some of the most common ones include Star Wars, Marvel Comics, Harry Potter, and Nintendo. Players enjoy these themes because they know what to expect from them. They are enjoyable and easy to understand. All you need to do is pick your favorite brand and start spinning!

5. Seasonal Slot Themes

The seasonal slot themes are based on seasons. Some of the most well-known ones include Christmas, Halloween, Easter, Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s Eve. Many people enjoy these themes because they get to celebrate special occasions throughout the year. The themes keep the holiday spirit alive and help everyone remember the occasion.

6. Popular Slot Themes

Finally, we have the popular slot themes. These are the newest and most innovative styles of slots. They are usually created by casinos specifically for fun and entertainment purposes. Some of the most recent popular themes include video game characters, sports figures, celebrities, and cartoon characters.

FAQ’s

What are the benefits of playing themed slots online?

Themed slots are designed to make players feel more comfortable while playing. By choosing a theme that matches their interests, they can enjoy their experience even more.

How do I choose which theme to play?

There are several factors that determine which theme to play. First, you should consider how much money you plan on spending. If you don’t mind losing small amounts of money, then you may be fine with playing regular slots.

However, if you want to win large sums of money, then you should stick to themed slots. Also, you should consider your personal preferences. Do you prefer action-packed games or relaxing slots? Are you looking for something new or something familiar?

Once you figure out what kind of slot you want to play, you should look for one that has the same theme as your interest.

How do I play themed slots?

To play themed slots, all you need to do is select the right website and click “spin.” There will then be a list of slot machines. Select the one that suits your needs. A screen will appear where you can set your bet amount, lines, and coins per line. As soon as you are ready, click the spin button and watch the reels spin until you get a winning combination.

Which theme is best?

There really isn’t a best theme. It depends entirely on your preference. If you like action-packed games, you should definitely try out themed slots. If you prefer relaxing slots, then you should go for classic slots. Either way, you’ll still have a good time.

Four games will be played this weekend in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs

nfl playoff

Betting can be fun, and with the NFL having four games this weekend during the Divisional Round of the playoffs, today we will be creating an NFL parlay of all four games against the spread in order to make a massive profit. Remember to bet responsibly.

It is important to use NFL stats and data when deciding your picks as well, so make sure there is reasoning behind each selection that is made. 

Cincinnati Bengals (+3.5) vs. Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans were the top seed in the AFC this season and had a week off, but I expect a solid game out of the Cincinnati Bengals here. Running back Derrick Henry is expected to play for the first time since Halloween, but a foot injury could hamper him, and he most likely will be on a “pitch count.” 

Cincinnati is a solid passing offense, and Tennessee does not have the secondary to hold Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins at the same time. Remember that running back Joe Mixon has also scored 13 rushing touchdowns this season. This is the scariest game since both sides have a legitimate shot of hitting but go with the Cincinnati Bengals to cover a 3.5 point spread. 

San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers (-4.5)

This line feels like the sportsbooks are begging people to take the Packers, and I will do just that. The 49ers are a bit beaten up, and I don’t trust Jimmy Garoppolo to play mistake-free football, which he will need to do. He basically was the reason the Dallas Cowboys had a chance to win in the Wild Card round. He also has a “slightly” sprained right shoulder and could struggle here once again.


Green Bay is one of the best teams, as their 13-4 record and the top seed in the NFC indicates. Aaron Rodgers is most likely winning the MVP award, and Davante Adams should have a field day. The team is getting healthier with linebacker Za’Darius Smith and cornerback Jaire Alexander potentially playing and left tackle David Bakhtiari re-emerging in Week18 after being injured. They can take another step as a team getting healthy and are the better team. All in all, go with the Green Bay Packers to cover the spread. 

Los Angeles Rams (+3) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This is going to be the most controversial game on the list because it is going against Tom Brady, but we need to be realistic. This Rams team can score points as it averaged 27.1 points during the regular season and already holds a win back in Week 3 against this Buccaneers team. Los Angeles has too many skilled receivers for Tampa Bay to defend as Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr both are dominant targets. Their defense featuring Aaron Donald, Von Miller, and Jalen Ramsey should feast here as well. Ramsey held Evans to five catches for 54 yards without a touchdown in their last two games against each other, so that will be a pivotal matchup.

This Tampa Bay team is good, but it is beaten up. Besides already missing wide receiver Chris Godwin and cornerback Richard Sherman, offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs was in a walking boot with an ankle injury, and that’s a huge loss if he is unable to play. They do not have the skill position players to compete in this game. Go with the Los Angeles Rams to cover the spread. 

Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs (-2.5)

A lot of the conversation will be on the Buffalo Bills “perfect offensive game” last week in the Wild Card round against the New England Patriots, but these Chiefs are better. Buffalo’s defense allowed 17 points per game during the regular season and beat the Chiefs in Arrowhead 38-20 early in the season, but that isn’t enough for me to expect them to win. 

This game is going to be close, but one stat people are forgetting is Patrick Mahomes is Dee Ford lining up in the neutral zone away from being undefeated at home in the playoffs. Experience matters in the playoffs, and Patrick Mahomes has it thus far. Go with the Kansas City Chiefs to win by a late field goal and cover.      

Parlay Odds

This parlay would be +1230, meaning if you bet $100 on this four-leg parlay and it hits, you win $1,230.33 for your troubles. This seems to be the best way to go for the week, so have fun and let’s watch some NFL Postseason football!

What Methods Does HTTPS Use That Makes It More Secure Than HTTP

http featured

Most of you would have probably heard about HTTP and HTTPS encryption. Several tech giants such as Mozilla and Google have started to root for websites using HTTPS over websites with HTTP encryption. However, if you are new to the world of encryption, you would probably wonder why HTTP is not secure.

In simple words, HTTP and HTTPS can be described as two distinct but related internet protocols. That said, several people still do not know the difference between these two types of encryption. You will probably have a few doubts about securing your site with HTTPS, and why not use HTTP, don’t worry; we are here to help you.

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If you want to know what makes HTTPS sites more secure than HTTP, you must understand the difference between these two. The major difference between these two internet protocols is that HTTPS uses SSL or TLS certificates to encrypt normal HTTP responses and requests.

Due to this, HTTPS is a lot more secure when compared to HTTP. In other words, websites using HTTPS will be more secure and safe when compared to websites with HTTP encryption.

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  • A Beginner’s Guide To HTTP Encryption 

HTTP or Hypertext Transfer Protocol can be defined as a prescribed syntax and order for presenting information used for data transfer across a network. Most of the information that includes API calls and website content sent over the web will be using the HTTP protocol. 

It is crucial to remember that there are two major types of HTTP messages: responses and requests. HTTP requests will be generated by the user’s browser when interacting with web properties. 

For instance, when someone clicks on the hyperlink, a series of requests (HTTP GET) will be sent by the browser for the content, which will appear on the web page. The HTTP requests will either go to a proxy caching server or the origin server. As a result, the server will end up generating an HTTP response. 

HTTP responses and requests will be sent across the web in plaintext format. However, the issue is that people monitoring the connection will read them in plaintext. When users submit sensitive information via a web application or website, this will be an issue. 

The sensitive information shared by the user can be a credit card number, password, or more. A cybercriminal or hacker may easily read the data because it is in the form of simple plain text. To avoid such issues and ensure that customer data is safe and secure, you must consider switching your website to HTTPS.

  • Everything You Should Know About HTTPS 

Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure or HTTPS makes use of SSL or TLS certificates for encrypting HTTP responses and requests. This means that the transferred data will be a random series of characters instead of plain text. As a result, hackers and cybercriminals will find it hard to crack or access the data. 

The technology of public-key encryption is being used in TLS. This means that two separate keys will be called a private key and a public key. The public key will be shared with the client devices through the server’s SSL certificate. A CA or Certificate Authority usually signs SSL certificates. Each internet browser does have a list of CAs that they trust. SSL for multiple domains or a single domain that trusted CAs sign will receive a secure padlock in the web browser’s address bar. The padlock indicates that the website is genuine and trusted.

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  • Why Websites With HTTPS Are More Secure

Several business owners and analysts often ask why they should switch to HTTPS since HTTP has worked well for them over the years. Some people might also be wondering if switching to HTTPS is worth the effort and time.

One of the primary reasons you should consider switching to HTTPS is to ensure additional security for your website. As mentioned earlier, the SSL/TLS certificate that comes with HTTPS will safeguard your data when it is in transit between your client and website.

When data travels across the web, it will bounce between multiple servers before reaching its destination. This, in turn, presents several opportunities for hackers and cybercriminals to access or compromise the data.

If your website uses a valid SSL or TLS certificate, which will validate your identity, it will give your customers assurance regarding the authenticity of your website. This will, in turn, build trust, and customers will be happy to revisit your website. Choosing the perfect SSL certificate for your website is important. If your website consists of multiple domains and subdomains that must be secured, it is sensible to invest in a multi-domain SSL certificate to help you protect up to 250 FQDNs (Fully Qualified Domain Names).

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  • Higher Google Rankings

The search engine giant Google has been using several factors to rank websites. All business websites need to acquire a higher rank on the search engine results page of Google. Google has preferred websites with HTTPS over sites with HTTP.

This means that websites with SSL certificates and HTTPS are more likely to secure a better rank on Google. In addition to that, switching your website from HTTP to HTTPS will protect you from PCI/DSS penalties.

Final Thoughts

Now, you would have a clear idea regarding the difference between HTTPS and HTTP. You will notice that websites without HTTPS are not getting ranked in the top results of Google. This means that you can easily point out safe websites and unsafe ones.

So, if you want to make your website more secure and get better search engine rankings, you should opt for HTTPS instead of HTTP.

Also read: How to Recover Deleted Text Messages On Android