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Tax Preparers Are Online Scam Artists’ Latest Muse.
Since the dawn of the internet, cyber con artists have been on the constant lookout for the next hapless victim group.

For a time, the taxpayer community fell prey to phone scammers pretending to be the IRS and demanding payments of back taxes that are not really owed. Scammers then moved on to sending fake emails requesting payment or personal information from the recipient.

All in all, the IRS admits, scam victims have lost millions of dollars and loads of personal information via bogus IRS communications.

You can now add way older photos to your Instagram story.
At long last, the 24-hour limit is no more. You can now upload photos to your Instagram Story that are up to a week old. 

When uploading a story, you can now swipe up on the screen and be shown a reel of all the photos you've taken in the past week (as opposed to those taken in the past 24 hours). 

Even after its public release, this feature may not change much about the Stories experience. As one user noted, it has always been easy to post older photos as Stories by screenshotting or editing them.

Amazon is coming after Ikea with its first furniture brands — and it's one-upping the competition in one major way. A scene with Rivet

What’s in store for World of Warcraft GamesBeat Decides.
Co-hosts Mike Minotti and Jeffrey Grubb reunite now that our reviews editor has returned from BlizzCon. We spend a portion of this week’s GamesBeat Decides podcast going over Mike’s time spent with Blizzard games and becoming best friends with important people at that company (like Jeff Kaplan).

Major BlizzCon topics include Overwatch’s new healer Moira and the new single-player mode coming to Hearthstone. Mike also spends some time digging into expectations for World of Warcraft and the viability of that long-running online game going forward.

In addition to Minotti’s Anaheim adventures, we check into some of the news. Again, this section is very Blizzard-heavy as the developer announced some upcoming changes, features, and content for World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and more.

Seriously More Bad News for the Pixel 2 XL’s Screen.
Google Pixel 2 XL owners can't catch a break.

After reports of screen burn-in, handsets shipping without operating systems, and other problems, some Pixel 2 XL owners have reported on Google's Product Forums that their screens are smudging without any way to address the issue.

After some digging, users both on the product forums and Reddit say that the issue appears to be the oleophobic coating on the Pixel 2 XL's screen, which is wearing off too quickly and allowing the smudging.

Bitcoin soars to nearly $7,900 after plans for fork are called off. MI

Salesforce debuts low-code mobile app development tool.
Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo published their mySalesforce app to the App Store using Listing Wizard.

Salesforce on Monday introduced a revamped mobile app development tool, dubbed mySalesforce, that should enable any business user to build a branded mobile app and publish it in the App Store or Google Play within weeks.

The new platform service will be available to any Sales Cloud, Service Cloud or Community Cloud or Salesforce Platform customer, the company announced at its Dreamforce conference. mySalesforce apps are built with the Salesforce Lightning App Builder, which provides a drag-and-drop library of configurable components.

Trump's still tweeting from China even through the country's Twitter ban.
Twitter is never out of reach for President Donald Trump. 

The president is in China right now, one stop on a multi-part tour through Asia. And even though mainland China has blacked out Twitter since 2009, Trump is somehow still tweeting.

SEE ALSO: Trump's tweets since he was elected president: A complete breakdown

A leaked document shows Apple's requirements for a tax haven (AAPL). Apple
CEO Tim Cook looks on during an Apple special even

Deliveroo's £7.99 a month subscription service is now available across the UK. Deliveroo founder and CEO Will Shu. Deliveroo

AI isn’t just taking jobs, it’s saving lives.
According to the World Health Organization, 800,000 people lose their lives to suicide each year. This number has remained fairly consistent year over year, but innovations in artificial intelligence and machine learning could help change this.

AI researchers have had a big year in 2017 with the creation of multiple technologies intended to help prevent suicide. Facebook, the AI Buddy Project, Bark.us, and most recently a joint effort by Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh have all made technologies with the potential to decrease the number of suicide-related deaths. Although an AI will never replace the emotional connection and support humans provide in a time of crisis, the innovations we’ve seen this past year could help health care providers, friends, and family members detect suicidal tendencies in their patients and loved ones before it’s too late.

Last week, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh published a paper in Nature Human Today describing their most recent innovation in the artificial intelligence space. The team created an AI that could successfully identify participants experiencing suicidal thoughts.

10 best smartphones iPhone X bumps Galaxy Note 8 from top spot.
All major smartphones have been announced for 2017 and now after getting hands-on time with the Apple iPhone X, Google Pixel 2, and Huawei Mate 10 Pro it's time to finalize the rankings. It's clear that any of the top five could be number one so provide your feedback on the rankings below.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 spent time at the top of my last few updates and it remains a fantastic device. However, there is something I like better that is now available. The Apple iPhone X is now in the hands of buyers and available in stores. It is the highest price mass market phone to launch with a starting price of $999 for 64GB and $1,149 for 256GB, but it seems the majority of people are buying it on a payment plan so that the cost is spread out over time and not as shocking as a lump sum price.

iPhone X We can reduce but not eliminate burn-in on OLED screen, says Apple.
Video: iPhone X review: Face ID, the notch, and a new screen

Apple has published a new support document for the iPhone X that explains some of the benefits and risks associated with its new Super Retina display.

The iPhone X is the first iPhone to employ an OLED display, which brings sharper and more vivid images, but also the risk of burn-in or image persistence.

A critical mistake costs traders betting against Snap huge profits (SNAP). Flickr
via JDLasica

How blockchain will change major industries.
While much of the discussion around blockchain has surrounded bitcoin and its ups and downs, corporations and businesses are quickly waking up to the possibility of using blockchain to secure and improve large volumes of transactions as well.

By removing the need for trusted third parties, blockchain has the potential to make interactions within massive networks more efficient. While much of the private blockchain solutions in development are catered towards securing transactions within large financial institutions, blockchain technology can also have profound effects on industries that fundamentally affect the lives of everyday consumers.

Here are five industries that represent a similar set of characteristics – significant middlemen costs, inefficiency, and lack of transparency – that the blockchain is designed to improve.

How to Switch Between Apps on iPhone X.
After years of using iPhones with home buttons, you might feel like Apple has pulled the rug out from under you with the iPhone X’s edge-to-edge display. From closing apps to turning off the phone, navigating around the X requires learning new gestures, and lots of them. And that goes for switching between apps, too.

Once you figure out how to switch apps without double clicking a button, you’ll never want to go back. (This will take a few days, but trust me on this one.)

MORE: 12 Essential iPhone X Tips to Get Up and Running

What you need to know in advertising today. Getty

Aluminum Foil Can Boost Your Wi-Fi Signal.
If you have a spotty Wi-Fi signal in your home and you're looking for a solution, go into the kitchen.

Credit: Tom's Guide

A new study from researchers at Dartmouth College have found that aluminum cans and aluminum foil can be used effectively to boost wireless signals in the home. The researchers, whose findings were earlier reported on by TechRadar, first tried aluminum drink cans and cut them into a circular shape to reflect a signal towards dead areas. It worked.

Apple is working on an AR headset with a new OS, report says.
Bloomberg reported today that Apple is working on an augmented reality headset that it hopes to bring to market in 2020. The headset would feature its own display rather than relying an iPhone, and it would run a new spin-off from iOS in the vein of watchOS or tvOS, currently called rOS internally, for "reality operating system."

The project is one of many AR-related initiatives that fall under the internal code name T288, all made by a team of "several hundred engineers" led by former Dolby Labs engineering head Mike Rockwell. Earlier this year, Apple hired an accomplished VR and AR researcher named Doug Bowman from Virginia Tech, too. The team has already produced ARKit, a software development toolkit for iOS that takes care of a lot of the heavy lifting for third-party developers who want to make AR apps.

In fact, the same team is also working on a new version of ARKit that would add persistence tracking features and lay better groundwork for multiplayer AR experiences and games.

Amazon Cloud Cam The gatekeeper for Amazon's in-home delivery is also a swell standalone security camera.
The Amazon Cloud Cam ($120) is ostensibly a sentry for users of Amazon Key, the company’s home delivery service that allows couriers to drop off packages right inside your house. It works with compatible smart locks to allow delivery people—and, really, anyone else you designate—to enter your premises when you’re not home. It’s also sold as a standalone home security camera, and it’s a darn good one, with advanced security features and full Alexa integration.

Design-wise the Cloud Cam looks like a kissin’ cousin of the Nest Cam IQ, right down to the white finish. The attached stand makes it ideal to set on a bookshelf or mantel piece, but it comes with a mounting bracket and screws if you’d rather attach it to a wall or ceiling. It’s an indoor-only model, so there’s no protection from the weather, but the camera has an operating temperature range of 32 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit, so it will operate in the garage in temperate climates.

For the relatively modest price, you get some hardy specs: a 120-degree viewing angle, 1080p video, night vision courtesy of eight infrared LEDs, motion detection, and two-way audio. You also get 24 hours of cloud storage for your recorded clips free with your purchase.