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New details regarding a series of jackpotting attacks on ATMs in Germany that took place in 2017 have been uncovered thanks to a joint investigation conducted by Motherboard and the German broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR).
Jackpotting is a technique in which cybercriminals use either malware or a piece of hardware to trick an ATM into ejecting all of the cash it contains. A stolen credit card isn't required to launch a jackpotting attack and those behind these attacks usually install the malware onto an ATM by opening a panel on the machine to gain access to a USB port.
Motherboard and BR's investigation revealed that while jackpotting attacks have decreased in Europe during the first half of this year, multiple sources have said that the number of attacks in other parts of the world have increased.
The US, Latin America and Southeast Asia have all faced jackpotting attacks recently and banks as well as ATM manufacturers have been impacted across the financial industry.
Jackpotting
Back in 2010 at the annual Black Hat cybersecurity conference, the late researcher Barnaby Jack showed of his own strain of ATM malware live on stage. Once the malware was successfully deployed to the ATM, the word “JACKPOT” was displayed on its screen as the device spit out bank notes.
When it comes to the jackpotting attacks which occurred in Germany during 2017, prosecuting attorney Christoph Hebbecker revealed to the joint investigation that 10 incidents took place between February and November in which attackers were able to steal 1.4m Euro. However, now jackpotting has made a comeback as cybercriminals look to illegally earn funds in the real world.
One of the main issues with ATM security is that many ATMs are essentially aging Windows computers that are very old and slow. ATM manufacturers have made security improvements to their devices over the years but unfortunately that doesn't necessarily mean that all ATMs across the industry are up to the same standard.
Executive director of the ATM Industry Association in the US, Canada and Americas, David N Tente explained to Vice how banks can better protect their ATMs from jackpotting attacks, saying:
"In order to execute a jackpotting attack, you have to have access to the internal components of the ATM. So, preventing that first physical attack on the ATM goes a long way toward preventing the jackpotting attack."
In the world of cybersecurity, attack methods that fall out of favor with cybercriminals are often revived later on and that certainly seems to be the case with the recent wave of jackpotting attacks.
Getting started with portrait photography can seem like a daunting task. Once you start researching all the techniques, equipment and (so-called) rules, and everything else you have to memorize and acquire, it can all feel a bit overwhelming. Even so, the journey is worth it, and portraiture is a rewarding pursuit. Throughout your time taking portraits, you will meet, talk to and get to know a lot of people, and hopefully take some great photos of them as well. Instead of focusing on what you need to take great portraits (that’s a camera by the way, nothing more), this article outlines eight tips that you can take and start using immediately to help you improve your portrait photography immediately, without spending another penny.
1. Use softer light
Soft light is an incredible tool to get the very most out of your portraits. Using it is not the only way to do things, but it’s a great place to start.
If you’ve read anything about portrait lighting before, this is a tip you’ve already heard, but it needs to be repeated over and over again. Hard light, such as that from the midday sun, is usually the quickest way to attain contrasty and harsh portraits with unflattering shadows and highlights. Taking the time to seek out pockets of softer light (or creating it in the studio) is by far the quickest and most effective way to improve your portrait photography without doing anything else.
Outdoors, look for areas of open shade or take advantage of overcast days where the light is diffused by the cloud cover. Of course, golden hour will provide you with amazing light most of the time, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go out and search for pockets of diffused, flattering light at any other time of the day.
For soft light in the studio, big modifiers in close will do the job just great.
In the studio, make sure that you are using as big of a modifier as you have. If the light is still too hard, you can diffuse your light with a diffuser (yes, I know that might require another purchase, and I apologize for that), or you can move the light closer to your subject.
Just remember that the bigger the apparent light source is to your subject, the softer the light is.
Is all this to say that you shouldn’t use hard light for portraits? Absolutely not. Hard light can make for wonderful portraits, but in a lot of cases, and especially as you are starting out, you will find it beneficial to learn how to use and understand soft light first.
2. Light for the eyes
Making your subject’s eyes a priority when you are lighting your images will ensure that the eyes are bright and remain the focal point of your images.
Eyes may be the most important part of a portrait. When your viewers look at photos of people, most of the time they engaging with the person’s eyes first. This is because that is how we humans engage with people in face-to-face scenarios. To make sure you get the very best from your subject’s eyes, start making sure that you light for the eyes at the beginning of every portrait session before you even take your first frame.
To do this, watch your subject’s eyes carefully as you arrange the light, whether that be outdoors or in the studio. Direct your subject (or move your light source if you can) so that the catchlight in their eye is near the top of their eye. It also helps if the light is going directly into their eyes. This will help you to get the most detail in your subject’s eyes.
You will also find that making the eyes a priority at the capture stage means that you will rarely have to do anything to them in post-processing.
In short, light from above whenever possible and direct your subject’s pose so that the light is going into their eyes.
If you use a really big light source (i.e. to get softer light), the less bright the eyes will be. This is a good thing to keep in mind as you start looking towards big octaboxes and parabolic umbrellas.
As an aside, the softer the light source, the less detail will record in your subject’s eyes and the darker they will appear in your images. The harder the light source, the more detail.
This will only become an issue if you are using really, really big modifiers in the studio, or if there’s particularly heavy cloud cover. You should be fine if you’re using medium (normal) sized modifiers.
If your goal is simply to get the most detail possible out of your subject’s eyes, you might need to go for a harder light source. You could also mix light sources so that your subject’s eyes are lit by a hard light source, but there is still a softer light source evening-out the contrast in your images.
3. Rapport
Having a good rapport and good communication with your subjects is the best way to get the best expressions out of them.
It should probably go without saying that if you are serious about undertaking portrait photography, then your people skills are going to be paramount to your success. In order to get the best reactions and poses, and to keep your subjects comfortable and engaged, you should build a rapport with each and every subject. Every person is different and no two techniques or methods will work the same with everyone, so you will need to build a catalog of techniques to help you encourage the best from people.
You can start by always, always being polite. Stay positive and complimentary even if things are going completely wrong. Instead of saying: “this isn’t right,” try something along the lines of “This is cool, let’s move on to something else.”
Also remember that as the focus of your portrait is the person you are photographing, so should your attention be. Talk about your subject, and let them talk about themselves.
Try to avoid talking about your photography and definitely avoid technical jargon. Unless you are photographing a photographer, nobody cares. I know that’s tough to hear as you as a photographer care deeply about that stuff, but nobody else does. The confusion and disinterest that those topics inspire in other people will clearly show in the final photos.
If you remember that it’s not about you or your photography, but the person in the photo, you mostly can’t go wrong.
4. Background
On location, making sure your backgrounds are clean and distraction-free is a vital skill to develop.
This is one of those skills that once you learn, you will start to do it automatically and never have to think about it again. In the beginning, however, it is vital to pay close attention to the backgrounds in your images. Ensure there are no extraneous elements creeping into the frame. Make sure there’s nothing like poles, trees, or cars intersecting your subject. If your background is blurred with a shallow depth of field, make sure there are no blobs of contrasting color or value that take away attention from your subject.
In short, pay as much attention to your backgrounds as you do your subjects and ensure that they are clean and distraction-free.
Background clutter is just as much of a pain in the studio. Lights, cables, reflectors, edges of the background all seem to find a way to creep into the frame.
This is easier to do in the studio environment, but there are still things that you can look out for. Avoid using wrinkled backdrops (they never, ever look good). With plain walls, look out for marks and cracks from subsidence or similar. Just taking a moment to pay attention to these small details can help to improve your photos immensely. It’s also a lot easier to spot these things and deal with them in the moment than it is to retouch them out of your photos later.
5. Get close
Filling the frame with your subject will help to emphasize the focal point of your image.
It was Robert Capa who said, “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you aren’t close enough.”
Out of all the photography quotes ever quoted, this is the one I find the most useful by far. It applies to all genres of photography in general, but in portraiture, it’s a particularly important concept. Whatever the focus of your photos (people in this case), ensuring that that your subject is the focal point, and the only focal point in the image, is important. Get close and fill the frame. In most cases, you don’t need much background, and in a lot of cases, you don’t need any background at all.
Doing this helps you to make sure there are no distracting elements in your images. It also helps to emphasize that your portrait is a portrait of a person and nothing else. Sure, there are plenty of instances when you want more background in your images.
Environmental portraiture is a fantastic genre that I love to look at, but if you look at some of the best examples of these, you will probably find that the subject still dominates the frame. The background is just ancillary information that is used to complement the focus on the subject rather than detract from it.
All that said, the use of dead space is a valuable and wonderful compositional element.
Another instance you might opt not to get too close is when you want to use dead space as a design element or perhaps for editorial photography. That’s also fine. The key in these situations is to know when to be close and get a tight-framed portrait, and when to step back and let more into the frame. Most of the time with portraits, however, you will be well-served by getting in close and filling the frame.
The beginning
There you have it, that’s a few tips that will help you to improve your portrait photography without spending another penny. Perhaps not all of these tips will suit you and your photography, but I encourage you to try to implement them for the sake of seeing what you can learn from them anyway.
This list is by no means exhaustive, and if you have any tips you feel should be shared with beginners to help improve their portrait photography, please do leave them in the comments.
Lensrentals recently used their custom-designed MTF machine (Olaf) to find the highest resolving lenses available. For those that like to geek out over optics, the blog post (linked above) will be interesting and – as usual for articles authored by Roger Cicala – entertaining. Here are a few snippets from the article:
A couple of years ago, a testing customer asked us to find which lenses could get maximum resolution from a 150-megapixel sensor. Many people assumed that the highest resolving lenses at standard resolutions would be the highest resolving lenses at higher resolutions. Assumptions are the dark matter of the internet; we can’t see them, but we know they account for most of the mass. ___________________________
There was no photo or video lens that could resolve 200 lp/mm wide-open. (Our standard for ‘resolve’ was an MTF 0f 0.3; an MTF of 0.2 was borderline. There’s some evidence to support those cut-offs, but someone could argue them. Wait, this is the internet. Someone WILL argue them; it’s what someone lives for.) ___________________________
Two years later, that customer asked us if we knew of any other lenses that they should consider. There’ve been a lot of lenses released since we did these tests, and some of those lenses fit the criteria for possible ‘ultra-high’ resolution; primes with focal lengths of 85mm or more. The manufacturers are obviously making these lenses with at least moderately higher resolution cameras in mind. So perhaps some of the newer lenses would resolve ‘ultra-high’ frequencies better than some of the older lenses we had tested.
So we checked some new lenses all the way up to 240 lp/mm, something sufficient to make a 200 megapixel FF camera worthwhile. To be clear, this is NOT coming to a camera near you anytime soon; it’s a research project. But if the researchers are making such a sensor, it makes sense they want to know which lenses would get the best results from the sensor.
See the entire article at the Lensrentals blog to see which lenses made the cut this time around, then read more about those lenses here.
What’s cooler than bending reality from a panorama into a 90-degree angle? Bending a panorama into two 90-degree angles. This experimental shot, like something out of Inception, does just that:
(Via Imgur. Click for larger image.)
The image comes from Indonesian graphic designer Jati Putra Pratama, whose flair for surrealism has granted him some notoriety on Instagram. His pictures often play with washed-out colors that look ripped from 1960s magazines, but twist that conventional simplicity on its head. They’re deftly dreamlike and really quite beautiful, although they can also—as is the case above—seem a little unsettling.
Photographers like to talk about gear. Discussion about the latest and greatest camera equipment is common. That’s fine to focus on if you think you can improve your photography, or if you like talking about new shiny things. And you have the money to satisfy your desires.
Photographers who can’t afford to keep upgrading their gear tend not to talk about it so much. It can become depressing. Some of them also understand that purchasing the latest camera gear may do very little to improve their photography. Sometimes using older gear invokes more creativity.
What is it about old, manual focus lenses?
I’ve been taking photos for a long time. It was years before I had a camera capable of autofocus, let alone any autofocus lenses. I had to learn the old fashioned way.
This was my first camera and lens – a Nikkormat FTN with a 50mm f/1.4 attached. I continued to use this lens for 27 years until it finally was not in focus all the time. I think it’s worn out; the glass elements are slopping around inside.
Manual focusing is not so difficult. It’s like learning to drive a manual shift car. It takes some practice. Once you can, you never forget how. You may get a little rusty if you haven’t done it for a while, but before long, you’ll be driving along and not thinking about it.
Old lenses were built more solidly and feel different in use. Because of their build quality, they can last longer. Many of them are as sharp, if not sharper, than modern lenses.
Using manual focus lenses can help you improve your photography
You have to slow down and think more about what you are doing while using a manual lens. Well, initially, you do. After some practice, you’ll find manual focusing comes pretty naturally.
So much attention in photography is on doing things fast. Manual focus has a bad rap because it’s slower than autofocus. I don’t perceive that this always has to be a negative thing.
Slowing down can help you see more and to think more about what you are doing. Using a manual focus lens can encourage you to become more engrossed in your photography. Without relying on autofocus technology, you have to use alternative means of capturing the photos you want.
Creative thinking becomes more to the fore when you do not have autofocus lenses to use. You must consider more carefully what you want to focus on. This is never a bad thing to master.
Learning to prefocus so your subject will be sharp when it’s time to take the photo is a great skill to have. With a manual focus lens, this becomes less optional.
Any of these methods, when practiced enough, will become second nature. You’ll find yourself using them no matter what lens you have on your camera.
Diversifying your lens options doesn’t have to be expensive
Old lenses are available secondhand almost everywhere at reasonable prices. If you have a new camera with a kit lens and want to add another lens or two, consider buying used.
Picking up an older 50mm lens will not set you back as much as a brand new lens. Depending on what brand camera you have, you may also need to purchase an adapter. This will allow you to mount older lenses to your digital camera. Nikon users have the advantage here.
I was able to keep using my original lens on each camera I upgraded to because Nikon never changed the lens mount. Any older Nikon lens will attach to every Nikon camera. Some very old lenses may lose some metering functionality but otherwise, work very well. Some may also need slight modification.
Adapters are available for just about every camera and lens combination. Once you’ve bought your first old manual focus lens, it may pay to stick to buying the same brand. That way you can use the same adapter.
Manual focus lens structure and build are much less complicated than autofocus lenses. The higher quality older lenses are sturdy and robust. There are three main things to look out for in second-hand lenses:
Indications that they have been dropped or otherwise mistreated. Dings and heavy scratches on a lens are not a good sign.
Fungus in the lens is another thing to watch for. Dirt on the outside is easy enough to clean off. A lens with fungus on the outside or any of the inner lens elements can be expensive to clean and may well be damaged beyond repair.
Thirdly, the focusing ring can become stiff and hard to turn, particularly if the lens has not been used for a long time. You can repair it, but repairs can become expensive, depending on where you live.
I picked up a bag of camera gear at a general household auction years ago. In it was a Nikon FM2 body with an MD4 motor drive. I knew I could sell the drive for $ 400. The camera had a 135mm lens on it with so much mold you couldn’t see through it. That was worthless. Also in the bag was a 55mm micro Nikkor in lovely condition.
I bought the lot for $ 250, then sold the camera and motor drive and kept the lens. I made around $ 350 on the deal, plus I got to keep the lens, which I still love using. If you know what you are buying you can be lucky enough to end up with another lens and it not cost anything.
Build quality and glass are not often a problem in good-quality older lenses. Coatings of lenses have improved over time. Modern lenses have coatings developed for use with digital cameras.
Chromatic aberration, also known as purple fringing, is more prevalent in old lenses. This is because the lens coatings are different. However, post-processing software can often fix the problem pretty well.
Lack of sharpness at wide apertures can sometimes be an issue with older lenses. Avoiding using the widest aperture setting can often alleviate this problem.
Diversifying your gear options with older manual focus lenses is worth considering. If you’re a student on a budget (or anyone else on a budget!), picking up a second-hand lens or two will help you in a number of ways:
You’ll be saving money
You will have to learn to use manual focus
Second-hand lenses keep their resale value more than new lenses
Working more slowly will help your photograph in other ways too
When looking to buy older lenses, it’s best to do your research carefully first. There’s no point buying a lens that won’t work with your model of camera. Get on the internet and specifically search for the camera and lens you want to combine. If it can be done, someone has likely blogged about it or posted a video to Youtube already.
Do you use old, manual focus lenses? What is your experience with them? Share your experiences and images with us in the comments!
Fortnite Chapter Two is a phrase you'll be hearing a lot this week – here's why.
What a time to be a Fortnite player. The immensely popular battle royale game has made quite the storm this week, after plunging the Fortnite island on all of its servers into a massive black hole and leaving players without warning, assurance, or confirmation of what’s to come next. Apparently, this is the end.
It isn’t the end, of course – Fortnite is a huge money spinner for Epic, and what enabled the developer to build its Epic Games Store. We expected a new Season at some point after the events of the current Season 10, after all – but what really is coming next, and how much long do players have to wait to find out?
Here’s everything we know about Fortnite Chapter Two – pieced together from 48 hours of leaks, speculation, and staring into the abyss.
UPDATE: Fortnite Chapter Two is now live and available to play! You can also view the first cinematic trailer for Fortnite Chapter Two below.
What is Fortnite?
Fortnite is one of the biggest video games of all time – and that’s not hyperbole. Since its launch in 2017, millions of players have tuned in to the free-to-play battle royale game, which sees 100 players duke it out to be the last one standing.
All battle royale games take place on the same map – known as ‘the island’ – though Epic Games tends to tweak its exact features and geography for each new Season, or for timed events and alternative game modes.
With a fun, cartoon style, blend of shooting and building mechanics, and accessible gameplay – with a fiercely competitive goal for each 1 v 100 game – it’s not hard to see why Fortnite has been so popular and permeated pop culture so broadly, with hordes of young’uns, teenagers, and adults all chipping in to give the game a try. Yes, even Drake plays it.
There’s a campaign mode called Save The World, though it’s not usually what people refer to when they talk about Fortnite.
Fortnite is has had a reboot of sorts. Players were given a rude awakening to this on Sunday 13 October, when a massive black hole destroyed the island map and shut down all of the battle royale servers. If it wasn’t clear, this was intentional.
It comes at the end of a long-winded sci-fi plot that will likely only make sense to players who have been with the game for a significant amount of time – but what’s important is that the game is gone, and will be coming back at some point. Fortnite Chapter Two has replaced the expected Season 11 update players had been waiting for, marking more of a refresh than an iterative update.
It’s a bit disappointing that Epic hasn’t communicated more with its players, though – from what we’ve seen on Twitter, many have been staying up all night for the past two days waiting for the black hole on the Fortnite website to change. It’s all well and good for the game’s hype, but couldn’t you let your gamers sleep, Epic?
The game is now available to download, though you'll need to download the game afresh. In the meantime you can watch a group of streamers below testing out the game's new island map and Battle Pass.
When will Fortnite Chapter Two start?
You can download and play Fortnite Chapter Two now! The download file appears to be 5.27GB for mobile, 13GB for consoles, and 14.9GB for PC.
Fortnite Chapter Two: new map, gameplay and BOATS
We expected a new map after the previous island was destroyed by that pesky black hole – and we were right. There's a brand new island to play around in with 13 different areas, which seem to feature a lot more mountains and water features (rivers, lakes, beaches) along with brand new swim and dive mechanics. You can even eat fish to refill your HP.
There's also now motorboats for zooming and shooting around in, giving a number of new ways to navigate the island. Sections of the island also remind us a bit of the Savage map in PUBG – which also had boat-based warfare a while before Fortnite thought of it.
Where can I play Fortnite?
Fortnite is a free-to-play game available to download on Android and iOS mobile, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Epic makes it money through optional purchases of skins and customizable items, though they are purely cosmetic and won’t improve your chances of winning – notwithstanding the ability of your sick outfit to intimidate other players.
What's new? Before it was so rudely interrupted, Fortnite Season 10 had been extended an extra week for its events to wrap up – and now we know why.
Out of Time
Fortnite Season 10 has been extended by a week and Epic is bringing in a new event called Out of Time which will begin on October 8 and run until the season's end on October 13. Over the course of the event, players will have the chance to complete objectives and earn rewards including XP, cosmetics and a loading screen.
Zone Wars
There were four Limited Time Modes available, all created by users. You can play through them either solo or with your team, all you have to do is select the Solo or Party playlist and you'll be entered into one of the four Zone Wars maps at random. The four available are:
Colosseum which involves an open-island setting that demands fast-paced building abilities; Desert, set in a small town with a diverse range of weapons at your disposal; Downhill River in which you have to stay out of the reach of the storm while moving downriver; and Vortex with a challenging mountainous terrain.
Weapons and items
The Flint-Knock pistol has been unvaulted alongside the Bouncer.
Batman crossover
To celebrate the 80th anniversary of Batman, Fortnite introduced a Batman crossover event which ran until October 6. This event saw Tilted Towers transformed into Gotham City, with players given their very own Batman capes and Glider Redeploy abilities – as well as a Grapnel Gun, Explosive Batarang, and other themed outfits / items available for purchase.
Read the patch notes for this update in full on the official Epic website to find out more about bug fixes and smaller changes.
Yes you can! Well, maybe. After months of waiting, Fortnite is finally on both iOS and Android, though you'll need a phone that can actually run the game.
iOS users can download straight from the App Store. As long as you're using iOS 11 on iPhone 6S/SE, iPad Mini 4, iPad Air 2, iPad 2017, iPad Pro devices or later you'll be fine. Oh, and you'll need an internet connection, naturally.
Fortnite also hit Android phones and finally came out of beta in October 2018. You can see the full list of phones – and how to find the Fortnite Installer – on our Fortnite on Android page.
Is it the full game?
It is the full Fortnite game. There are some small differences: it’s not quite as visually impressive as it is on more powerful devices, the controls are touchscreen, and a lot of audio cues have been made visual so you can play comfortably in public without the need for headphones. But you won’t be missing out on any key features.
What's the deal with cross-play?
A sweet deal is what it is. While previously Xbox One and PS4 owners couldn't play the game together, Sony's U-turn on the matter means that now everyone across Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android can all take part in the crossfire.
So if you've got friends that prefer PC, others that prefer console and you're off on holiday with your mobile, that's no reason for the fun to stop.
There's also cross-progression. So, if you're logged into your Fortnite account on mobile and you later log into your console to play there, everything you did on mobile later that day is carried over.
Sounds great, how do I get it?
We have a guide on how to get Fortnite on mobile on TechRadar and we're constantly updating it with the latest rollout news. If your device isn't there yet, keep checking back and one day it probably will be.
What's a Fortnite Battle Pass?
The Battle Pass is a purchasable item in Fortnite that gives you access to exclusive in-game rewards.
As players complete daily challenges and level up their rank, they earn Battle Stars which can then be used to unlock Tiers in their Battle Pass. Each new Tier you unlock will bring both Free and Premium rewards. Season 10 has also seen the introduction of missions to the battle pass. These are thematic objectives that span the island and on completing them you'll unlock additional rewards.
Everyone who has a Battle Pass will get the Free reward they unlock, but only Premium Pass holders will get the Premium reward. Battle Pass Premium can only be purchased with in-game V bucks and not with real money.
You can purchase a Battle Pass for around £7/$ 10 in the Battle Pass tab of the game’s menu.
Twitch Prime benefits
Those who use Twitch Prime and play Fortnite will be glad to know that they have access to free loot right now. Those with a Prime account can claim the Fortnite Twitch Prime Pack and the Fortnite Twitch Prime Pack 2 which include a host of cosmetic items and are available across all platforms.
The first pack includes two exclusive gliders and outfits: the Havoc Outfit and Back Bling, plus the Sub Commander Outfit and Slipstream Glider. The second pack contains three exclusive items for Fortnite’s Battle Royale mode including the camouflage-heavy Trailblazer Outfit, the True North Back Bling, and the Tenderizer Pickaxe. There’s also a brand new dance emote for those that like the dance floor as much as the battleground.
The packs can only be claimed on a single platform, but they can be shared across PC/console and mobile as long as you use the same Epic account across these platforms. You can’t however, share your loot across PS4 and Xbox One even if you are using the same Epic account.
In a recent blog post on the Mozilla Security Blog, the Firefox-maker revealed the steps it has taken to protect users from code injection attacks by making its browser more secure.
The company has hardened its browser by removing “potentially dangerous artifiacts” from the Firefox codebase, including inline scripts and eval()-like functions, according to the firm's platform security and privacy engineer Christoph Kerschbaumer.
Inline scripts were removed in an effort to improve the protection of Firefox's 'about' protocol which is often referred to as about: pages. These about: pages allow users to do things such as display network information, view how their browser is configured and see which plug-ins they've installed.
However, since these about: pages are written in HTML and JavaScript, they employ the same security used by web pages, which are also vulnerable to code injection attacks. For instance, an attacker could inject code into an about:page and use it to change configuration settings in Firefox.
Code injection attacks
To help protect Firefox users against code injection attacks, Mozilla decided to rewrite all of its inline event handlers and to move all inline JavaScript code for all 45 of its about: pages to “packaged files”. The company also set a strong Content Security Policy to make sure that any injected JavaScript code is unable to execute.
Kerschbaumer explained how this new measure can help protect against code injection attacks, saying:
“Instead JavaScript code only executes when loaded from a packaged resource using the internal chrome: protocol. Not allowing any inline script in any of the about: pages limits the attack surface of arbitrary code execution and hence provides a strong first line of defense against code injection attacks.”
Additionally, Mozilla has warned developers against using the eval() function which it described as a “dangerous function, which executes the code it's passed with the privileges of the caller”. By rewriting all eval()-like functions, the company has reduced the attack surface in Firefox further.
Keep your devices secured with the best antivirus software
Laptops have come a long way from being bulky devices with massive power bricks. Carrying an ultrabook around for work purposes is no longer the chore it used to be once. However, full-size 15-inch laptops can still be a bit too big to carry around. Thankfully, with companies releasing powerful and yet sleek ultrabooks, there are plenty of great 13-inch and almost-14-inch laptops out there that offer the perfect balance between portability and performance.
Don't get us wrong, we still love the Dell XPS 13, but it’s not the only ‘right’ choice anymore. We get it if you desire the new MacBook Air or even the HP Spectre x360, but the best 13-inch laptops excel in different ways altogether.
Dell XPS 13
Dell's XPS 13 line-up might as well be one of the sleekest, yet powerful Windows ultrabook out there. This year, Dell updated the XPS 13 with some subtle changes, making it better than ever before. With the Dell XPS 13 (2019), you now get a 4K display for a sharper picture across the board.
But even if you can’t afford the more premium, high-end configurations, the beautiful design, lengthy battery life and even the SD card slot are still there – plus you’ve got a quad-core processor no matter what poison you pick.
Better yet, the 13.3-inch display of the XPS 13 has been squeezed into a smaller frame, which explains Dell’s marketing line: ‘the world’s smallest 13-inch laptop.’ The 2019 model finally has the webcam above the display- the former model's most obvious design flaw.
Now stew on that, as you admire the Dell XPS 13’s gorgeous, albeit more expensive, Alpine White finish.
If you are in the market for a 13-inch laptop that looks great, is powerful and affordable at the same time, you might want to look at the Asus ZenBook 13. With Intel’s latest Core i5 processor and an optional Nvidia GPU, the ZenBook 13 sits pretty near the top of the pile when it comes to the best 13-inch laptops. Heck, it might even be the best, since the hardware is a touch better than even the beloved Dell XPS 13.
Of course, there's bound to be a few catches – the touchpad works almost too well, and you can't lay the screen flat if you want to use a stylus- but it's still a great option, especially considering the price point and the features. Oh, and the display is something special, too.
The HP Spectre 13 certainly won't weigh down your backpack; it won't weigh down your work, either. Packing an Intel Core i7-8550U processor with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of PCIe-based SSD storage space, the Spectre 13 is a better-looking, slightly more expensive alternative to the Dell XPS 13.
The display leaves something to be desired, as does the trackpad, but it can handle the average workload (though people with graphics-heavy jobs should look elsewhere) with zero crashes, and the battery life is a pretty solid 6+ hours.
It’s not as powerful as its 15-inch counterpart, but everything else about the 13.5-inch version of the Surface Book 2 makes for one of the best 13-inch laptops for anyone looking for a mobile workhorse. No matter if you’re a professional or creative, the Microsoft Surface Book 2, with its more compact form factor, rocks an aesthetic that’s just as gorgeous as its predecessor. What’s more, the dynamic fulcrum hinge is even stronger now, which only complements its robust, quad-core processor.
Thanks to its 3:2 aspect ratio and having a 13.5-inch screen, the first Surface book is quite a bit taller than your average 13-inch laptop. With 3,000 x 2,000 pixels under its belt, it sits at a happy middle ground of being sharper than most other laptops (including every MacBook in existence) without the troubles that plague 4K screens.
Microsoft has perfected the concept of the 2-in-1 laptop by splitting the laptop in half. All the essentials for a Windows 10 tablet are packed into the Clipboard, which can be used as Surface tablet on its own. But then the slate marries perfectly with its other half that contains extra batteries and a dedicated GPU.
If you want an excellent laptop that does just a bit more, then the Surface Book is your ticket.
You wouldn’t expect a Razer laptop to be prettier, thinner and lighter than a MacBook Pro, but this is the world we live in. The Razer Blade Stealth – in its all new gunmetal finish – rocks not only a gorgeous and practical aesthetic with its 400-nit display brightness and full-size USB 3.0 ports, but it also has a few tricks up its sleeve to make it a performance beast. The 8th-generation Kaby Lake R U-series processor makes the Razer Blade Stealth a force to be reckoned with. It doesn’t have the best battery life in the business, but it’s worth the 16 minutes of battery life to have one of the best 13-inch laptops.
The HP Spectre x360 is the one you introduce to your parents. It’s strikingly well-crafted, boasting a silvery design that makes it every bit as cutting-edge on the outside as it is within. Given the choice between an 8th-generation i5 or i7 Ultrabook-class processor and a 1080p or 4K screen, HP has given plenty of room for customisation.
It’s not under powered, nor does its battery life suffer from overcompensation. In fact, in our own video loop test, the HP Spectre x360 lasted a whole 8 hours and 45 minutes. The 2019 model of the Spectre x360 has an SD card slot (along with a number of other connectivity options), thus fixing a major problem in the previous model. The touchpad could be more responsive, but you can always opt for an external mouse.
The Asus ZenBook Flip S UX370 has plenty of performance to spare, while keeping the base frequency low until it’s needed. At just 1.1kg, it’s certainly light enough, and the inclusion of a slip case means that you can pop its svelte 13.3-inch form into any bag easily. There is a slight downside in that there aren't too many ports, with only a pair of USB 3.1 Type-C slots present.
From simple file copying, to full software installations, this thing just flies, and it feels silky-smooth in Windows 10. It's super pricey, but the durable build, latest hardware specs and performance make it a good value for (a lot of) money option.
Asus extended its ZenBook lineup in September 2016 with its very own UX360 CA. Though it carries similar features as its predecessors, its 2-in-1 flexibility is what makes it stand out.
The laptop is powered by a sixth-generation Intel Core M6Y30 processor and 4GB RAM. It's also available with 8GB RAM in the international market, but Indian customers will have to satisfy themselves with a 4GB variant.
The laptop’s capabilities of bending backwards that allows users to experience both laptop and tablet form is an added edge.
Lenovo Yoga 910
The Lenovo Yoga 910 is all about second chances. The company reimagined the design with this one, opting in favour of a more pristine outward appearance and a heavy duty Intel Core i7 processor, as well as a 4K display.
Lenovo also managed to squeeze in a larger, nearly 14-inch screen into the 13-inch chassis of the Yoga 900.
Even with the implementation of USB-C ports, the Lenovo Yoga 910 doesn’t completely neglect USB Type-A, dragging the precious connection standard of the past along with it.
The MacBook Pro 2018 feels like the final form of Apple’s pro series laptop since its 2016 redesign. It keeps the thin and light design, but brings a wealth of improvements, both to the hardware within and, more importantly, Apple has vastly improved the Butterfly keyboard – making it quieter and more reliable.
So, you no longer have to worry about it breaking cause a piece of dust appeared under the spacebar. So, if you need an ultra-portable workhorse running macOS Mojave and you can justify the cost, the 2018 MacBook Pro won’t let you down. Keep in mind, though, the model without the Touch Bar is still running last year’s hardware.
An awful lot of blog posts focus on the mechanics of the photograph. They discuss composition, shutter speed, aperture, etc. Other posts talk about post-processing and making an image into a piece of art. Do a search and you’ll find hundreds of articles that show you how to clone, or how to use HDR. There’s a third section to this whole process of photography that so many forget to discuss. The digital age and social media have given us another way to share our art. We post the photograph online-only worrying about how it appears on the screen. We’ve forgotten that part of the beauty of our work is more concrete. We have forgotten how amazing it is to print our work, so this article will look at photography printing mediums.
If we do print our work, we tend to choose something standard. We upload our work and look for a cheap frame. It’s done. We don’t think very much about the photography printing mediums we use when printing our work. There’s so much we can do now. The media used to print a photograph is just as important when creating art as the first two stages of the process. We should consider all three as vital to the process.
Let’s consider some of the following photo printing mediums and the effect they can have on your work. The same photograph print on two different types of photo printing mediums can have a totally different look.
Luster photo paper
Luster paper has a slight sheen to it. The paper is similar to the idea of semi-gloss paint. Luster paper is easy to find in standard photo printing locations. The paper will produce beautiful colors, and it’s cost-effective. There is a subtle texture to the paper, and when framed, there’s less glare.
These factors are important when considering the look you want to create. Luster works well for portraits. Quite often family and wedding photographers recommend it to clients.
Glossy photo paper
Glossy used to be the go-to photo paper. Most of the photographs around my parent’s house are printed on glossy paper. Glossy tends to produce colors that are richer than luster. The details are also very sharp. In general, the image feels bright.
Many people don’t like the glossy feel of the paper. The sheen, depending on the angle can make it hard to see the photograph. Glossy also has a tendency to show scratches.
For family photos like this one, I usually recommend a luster or matte paper.
Matte photo paper
Matte paper has no sheen. The look is flat. That’s not to mean it’s boring. Matte paper can be very beautiful. It tends to create a somewhat softer look. Prints on matte paper tend to age better than those on luster and glossy paper, and the paper doesn’t show fingerprints the way glossy products will. You can also get some very beautiful prints from matte papers.
Uses for these papers
These papers tend to be used for nature photography, portraits, and weddings. Some photographers also use them for art prints. It’s important to consider the effect you want to create.
As an example, I printed the image below on a glossy paper. The fabric of these ribbon skirt has a natural sheen to it. If I had used a paper with no sheen I would have lost this element, and I wanted to represent the skirt as accurately as possible.
If you notice the sheen on the fabric you’ll see why I specifically chose gloss paper for printing.
Textured art paper
I will admit that textured papers are my favorite type to use when printing art photographs. I love the effect the paper creates. My favorite brand is Epson Cold Press Natural, but there are many available. A little experimentation will help you find your favorite.
Epson Cold Press is a textured matte paper that feels similar to watercolor paper. It’s thick and it absorbs a lot of ink. This paper tends to evoke an emotional response from viewers. I know that sounds strange, but I find the colors richer, and they have more depth. As a result, people tend to be drawn to the work. People often ask how the colors in the work are so rich. Good quality paper really helps produce a striking image.
In the following photograph, you’ll notice the rich black background. Printing on this paper lets me lay down a lot of ink to create an intensity I wouldn’t be able to otherwise produce.
This still life was shot with a piece of black velvet in the background. The intense black is important to the composition.
Printing on wood
This is a unique process.
You’ll have to look online to find a company that prints right onto the wood. I’ve used Posterjack in the past.
I’ve used Posterjack to do wood prints.
The effect is interesting. The wood grain will show through your images. It’s a unique look that can elevate the right photograph to new levels. One artist used wood prints quite effectively for an exhibition. The exhibition focused on the destruction of the rainforest for the production of beef. He photographed cattle then used the wood prints to help emphasize his message. In this case, the wood medium added to his exhibition.
While you may not be creating an exhibition for a gallery, the medium could still enhance your photographs. The wood grain works nicely with nature images as well as something with a retro feel to it.
This image works well with the wood grain. Images with limited texture that needs boosting, also work printed on wood.
Acrylic prints
Beautiful rich colors with sharp details work brilliantly on acrylic.
The images will pop and get noticed by anyone who walks into the room. The downfall with acrylic is you have to be very careful – it’s easy to chip the corners on an acrylic print.
Acrylic works very well with images shot at night. The bright lights of a city set against a dark sky can be breathtaking in acrylic.
This image works so well on acrylic. The glossy nature brings out the intensity of the city lights.
Metal prints
Metal prints, when used with the right image, can create amazing, jaw-dropping images.
Wherever an image has pure white, the silver of the metal will show through.
When used with black and white images, this creates a very unique look. The image also feels very modern. Content like urban landscapes or abstracts of machinery looks striking on this type of media.
This image looks awesome on metal. The silver works so well and adds depth to the image.
In conclusion
There are loads of photography printing mediums out there for your photographs. I haven’t even mentioned canvas prints or printing on fabric. Both are pretty awesome options as well.
The reality is, the sky’s the limit.
It’s more important to consider what each medium could do for your work. You should also think about how the medium affects the look of your work. Do you want a retro feel? Maybe you want something muted and understated? Think of a photograph as something with its own unique voice. Let the image, and the message you want to convey, speak to you then consider how you can make the work shine. As I’m sure Yoda told Luke at some point in Starwars, “Choose wisely, have patience, the answer will come to you.”
Do you have any other photography printing mediums tips you’d like to share with us? Do so in the comments!
When it comes to waterproof cameras, you’re likely to think of GoPro or a similar action camera first. But what if you wanted a waterproof camera with full manual control? There aren’t many options on the market unless you’re willing to splurge for an underwater housing for a DSLR or mirrorless camera. But there’s a less-known option made by the venerable camera brand, Leica. In 2016, Leica introduced the Leica X-U – a rugged, waterproof compact camera. It didn’t seem to get much fanfare as it was completely unbeknownst to me until I browsed Borrowlenses.com in search of a camera for my upcoming whitewater rafting trip.
So how did it perform? Read on to find out!
Technical specs
The Leica X-U is considered a point and shoot camera. It has a 16.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor and a fixed Summilux 23mm f/1.7 lens (equivalent to about 35mm in 35mm format). The camera can shoot both RAW and JPG photos and record full HD video (1080p).
Some dials allow you to take full manual control of the camera and set the ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. You can even manually focus the lens.
Taking into consideration all of these specs, this is essentially a pro-level camera that has the added benefit of being dustproof, shatterproof, waterproof (up to 15 meters for 60 minutes), and shockproof (from heights of up to 1.22 meters). It has a pro-grade camera price tag retailing at $ 2,999 USD.
Look and feel
There’s no escaping the fact that the Leica X-U is a chunky camera, especially when compared to other waterproof point-and-shoots on the market. It weighs in at 1.32 lbs and doesn’t float or come with a floating strap. Thus, you’ll want to make sure it is always strapped tight to you, or find a floating strap for it.
The camera exterior, made of anti-slip rubber, feels good in the hands. In front is a manual focus fixed lens with a built-in flash on top. There’s also a hot shoe on top of the camera for adding a larger flash or extra accessories.
Leica also includes a rubber lens cap with a small strap, but it fits very loosely and is prone to falling off. I recommend looping the lens cap strap to the camera for extra security.
Ease of use
This was my first time using a Leica camera. Up until this point, all I knew about Leicas was that 1) they were expensive, 2) they’re very solid in construction, and 3) their user interface is relatively simple and straightforward. All of these assumptions are true in the Leica X-U, but it is the third point that I appreciated the most.
The bulk of the camera’s controls are in the top two knobs and the lens’ focus ring. If you’ve used a film camera or Fujifilm mirrorless camera, you’ll feel right at home. Any other camera settings are controlled using buttons on the rear end of the camera, where there is also a large, brightly-lit LCD screen. Buttons were decently responsive, and the LCD was fast and accurate.
The one thing I wish Leica included is a touchscreen LCD. Menus are laid out simply, and it was easy to adjust settings. A rechargeable battery powers the camera, and it easily lasted a full day of shooting.
Performance in the field
I extensively researched this camera before renting it for my rafting trip. Unfortunately, most of the camera reviews swayed toward the negative. Many claim the Leica X-U’s autofocus is too slow, and its overall features fall behind when compared to what modern cameras (and smartphones) can achieve.
When shooting with this camera, I brushed off those negative reviews. Shooting with this camera was an absolute joy. I loved the ability to shoot in manual without having to worry about water splashes. And it is very easy to go from shooting still photos to video since the video record button is right next to the shutter.
Best of all was the ability to shoot photos of the night stars, which was my main reason for wanting this camera. My rafting trip frowned upon bringing non-waterproof cameras, so I didn’t want to risk bringing my expensive mirrorless cameras.
However, we would be spending the night in the pitch-black forests of Southern Oregon with stars shining bright every night, and I wanted the ability to snap photos of them.
With its fast aperture and the ability to shoot in manual focus, the Leica X-U had the capability of pulling off star photography, and it did so pretty well.
At the end of each day, I reviewed the photos and videos on the camera and marveled at what I was able to capture. Those negative reviews seemed completely wrong – that is until I reviewed everything on my computer.
Image and video quality
It’s a classic mistake to review media content on a tiny device screen and think that everything is working well. The real quality test is to review them on a big screen. Doing this showed that those reviewers were 100% right.
The Leica X-U’s image quality is quite good when shooting a static or slow-moving object. However, the camera absolutely blew the autofocus when shooting anything in movement.
This is an odd shortcoming for a camera that seems built for action, but it happened on a very consistent basis.
For fast-paced scenarios, the autofocus simply wasn’t fast enough, leading to many unfocused shots like this.
The video quality was downright atrocious, and I’m ashamed that I put so much trust in this camera when shooting videos. My Samsung Galaxy S10, in its waterproof case, took far better video.
So…should you use this camera?
Handling this camera was an absolute joy, but I can’t commend its photo or video quality.
If you’re seeking a waterproof camera with manual controls, this camera might work for you, but it depends on what you’re shooting. In fast-paced action scenarios, this camera’s autofocus performance won’t keep up. But if you’re shooting static landscapes or astrophotography, this camera will likely meet your needs.
© Kevin Landwer-Johan
