Brian Fagioli

Microsoft is an open source champion. It is weird to say, I know, but it is fact. Yeah, the company makes most of its money from closed source technologies, such as Windows and Office, but it is an open source contributor as well. It has made many quality open source projects available, such as Cognitive Toolkit and PowerShell. Heck, it was even revealed that Microsoft has the most open source contributors on GitHub! Its support for Linux on Azure deserves major kudos too.

Today, Microsoft takes its open source focus even further. You see, the Windows-maker has become an official Cloud Foundry Foundation Gold Member. Microsoft is in excellent company, with other big-name Gold Members, such as Google, Ford, and Huawei.

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If you are reading this, your privacy is under attack. Don't think hackers or government agencies have any reason to spy on you? Think again. Information is power, and collected data is very valuable. Only a sucker would argue that it doesn't matter because they have nothing to hide. Your liberties can be eroded when you don't join the battle for the overall greater good. In other words, it is important to fight for your rights before it is too late.

One way to fight for your privacy is to hide your internet activity from prying eyes. A great option for this -- especially in countries where exercising free speech can get you jailed or killed -- is Tails. This is a privacy-focused Linux-based operating system that is designed to run as a live environment -- preferably from an optical disk to best hide tracks. It was made famous by freedom-fighter Edward Snowden. You may not want to use the OS all the time, but it is a great tool for when you absolutely need privacy. Today, the Tails Linux distro reaches a significant milestone -- version 3.0 is stable. You can download the ISO immediately.

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If you thought the concept of a sound card was dead, you'd be wrong, but I wouldn't blame you for thinking it. After all, on-board motherboard sound is often excellent, and many people will choose a USB DAC nowadays as an upgrade.

Today, Creative unveils a new PCIe sound card that will get you excited. Called "Sound BlasterX AE-5," it is chock full of features and impressive specs. While overkill for most, it features an insane 32-bit/384kHz DAC. It offers connectivity for a 5.1 speaker setup. Since this is a gaming product in 2017, it of course has RGB lighting -- it comes with attachable RGB light strips to illuminate your case. While this card is designed for gamers, it will also be ideal for audiophiles listening to music.

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Internet-based home surveillance cameras are gaining in popularity nowadays, thanks to decreasing cost and easier setup. These devices allow you to monitor your home using your smartphone for ultimate convenience.

Back in 2015, Logitech unveiled its first such product. Simply called "Circle," it was affordable and easy to use. The problem? It lacked versatility. It didn't offer much in the way of positioning and couldn't be used outside. With that said, the battery aspect allowed it to be moved about a residence. Today, the company unveils the successor -- Circle 2. This time the camera is far more useful, even offering the ability to be used outdoors. There are two models -- wired or wire-free, both of which work with Amazon Alexa.

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Fedora 26 Beta is finally here! Why do I say "finally?" Well, as is becoming more common nowadays, the Beta release was delayed. This isn't the end of the world, however, as there is nothing wrong with making sure everything is ready -- especially a beta.

While you never want to run pre-release software on a production machine, I must confess that the Alpha version has been rock solid on my laptop -- it is probably safe. With that said, if you can be patient, we should have a final version on July 11. Can't wait for a stable Fedora 26 and like living dangerously? You can download the Beta today -- at your own risk.

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The news from E3 2017 is coming fast and furiously. Just yesterday, console gamers were treated to something very exciting -- Xbox One X. While Microsoft's latest console is a bit pricey, the cost is probably deserved -- it is the most powerful gaming system ever.

Today PC gamers are getting some big news from Dell. The company is refreshing its Alienware Area-51 gaming desktop with the latest-and-greatest from both AMD and Intel. Yes, folks, Threadripper and Core X will soon be configuration options for the beautiful computer.

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When Muslims pray, they are supposed to face Mecca -- a city in Saudi Arabia. This can be difficult for those that travel, as the direction can change based on the person's current location. For someone that tends to always be in the same city, this can be far easier to remember day to day.

If you are a Muslim that desires absolute accuracy when praying, Google has a new solution for you. Called "Qibla Finder," it is a web app that will show you the exact location to face.

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This has been an interesting week for Linux Mint. The team released the official beta for the Cinnamon and Mate versions of "Sonya," signaling a final release should be here soon. While that is good news, there was some bad news too. While technically not a Linux Mint issue, it was discovered that the MintBox 2 had a bios vulnerability. Luckily, there is already a patch for the diminutive computer.

Today, we can get back to the positive news, as there are two new Linux Mint releases. You can immediately download Linux Mint 18.2 'Sonya' Beta ISO images with the KDE or Xfce desktop environments. True, the Mint experience is usually all about Cinnamon and Mate, but the team offers a choice to those that dislike the standard environments.

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Today is a historic day for gaming, as earlier, Microsoft revealed its newest video game console -- Xbox One X. The latest variant of Xbox is smaller and more powerful than any model before it. It is backwards compatible with all Xbox One titles, and it also works with Microsoft's "Game Pass" subscription service, which offers over 100 downloadable games.

Regardless of which version of the console you have -- Xbox One, Xbox One S, or Xbox One X -- there is a good chance you might fill the internal hard drive. While 500GB or 1TB seems like a lot, it can fill quickly -- especially with the aforementioned subscription service. Today, Seagate announces a special USB hard drive for Xbox One. Called "Game Drive Hub," it features a 3.5-inch 8TB drive and a front-facing two-port USB hub.

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After a long time of hearing the code name "Project Scorpio" for Microsoft's next console, we finally have an official product name -- Xbox One X. The 4K/60-focused gaming system launches on November 7, just in time for the 2017 holiday shopping season. Parents will appreciate the backwards compatibility -- it can run all Xbox One games and works with all existing accessories too. In other words, you don't need to start the library anew.

The Xbox One X has an AMD-designed octa-core CPU clocked at 2.3GHz, a 6-teraflop Radeon GPU, and 12GB of GDDR5 memory with an impressive 326GB/sec memory bandwidth. For storage, it will come with a 1TB hard drive -- no more 500GB. It once again features a 4K Blu-ray drive too. This new console easily beats the PlayStation 4 Pro, which should give Sony some concern. While the PS4 has many great exclusives, so too will the Xbox One/S/X -- Microsoft announces 22 such games being shown at E3.

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G.SKILL makes excellent memory -- affordable and dependable. When someone asks me for advice on RAM, it is among the few brands I recommend first. Many in-the-know system builders will echo my feelings.

To highlight how good the RAM can be, G.SKILL announces that its DDR4 memory is now a record-holder. You see, a user has successfully overclocked some of its sticks to 5.5GHz! This trounces the previous record of 5GHz.

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PC gaming is exploding in popularity. Not only are people playing games, but they are watching other people play on services like Twitch. Heck, even eSports is being more accepted as a legitimate spectator sport -- you can watch such competitions on television. Crazy times, eh?

With PC gaming growing, so too are the number of products -- mice, keyboard, headsets and more. One of the most important things a gamer can buy is a quality monitor. Today, Samsung unveils two new displays (CHG70 and CHG90) with jaw-dropping features. Both models feature QLED Quantum Dot technology and the all-new Radeon FreeSync 2, which is AMD's solution for reducing screen-tearing. The 49-inch CHG90 is the most exciting of the bunch, however, as it features a neat resolution of 3840x1080. It is like putting two 1080p monitors side-by-side! The 27- and 31.5-inch CHG70 monitors have a resolution of 2560x1440.

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It used to be that laptops were pretty much just for portability. If you wanted, say, tons of storage, a desktop tower was the way to go. Thanks to faster external options using USB and Thunderbolt, it can be easy to add 3.5-inch hard drives with large capacities to a notebook setup. For instance, you can keep an enclosure on your desk, and when you get home or to the office, you can connect it for access.

USB 3.1 Generation 2 is the fastest such USB connection, and it will allow a very seamless experience when connecting an external storage device. True, when using mechanical hard drives, you won't be saturating the 3.1 gen 2 interface, but it can't hurt to have. Today, Startech launches a new such product -- the USB 3.1 Dual 3.5-inch SATA HDD Enclosure with RAID. It can accommodate two 3.5-inch mechanical hard drives. As the "Raid" in the name implies, it can do RAID 0, RAID 1, SPAN(BIG) and JBOD. It even includes both Type-A and Type-C cables depending on your connection needs.

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When it comes to product design, there are many paths to take. You can, of course, go for a basic and boring design, or opt for an elegant style. But what about fun? Playful and whimsical designs are not just for children -- adults can enjoy some funkiness too.

A great example of fun design comes from Logitech. Each year, it releases a collection of mobile wireless mice with playful exteriors. For 2017, the company is introducing the Doodle Collection for its M325C and M317C wireless mice. Believe it or not, this is the ninth such edition! This year, the company has gone extreme, as the doodles are really weird.

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System76 sells really great Ubuntu Linux laptops, but there has been one glaring issue -- the machines aren't exactly svelte. Don't get me wrong, the notebooks aren't ridiculously large or heavy, but compared to, say, a new MacBook Pro, there is a very big difference.

Many people have been anxiously awaiting a thin and light System76 laptop, and I am happy to say that it is finally here. The newest version of the Galago Pro notebook is very elegant, featuring an aluminum body and HiDPI display. But is the whole package worth your money?

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