If numbers and data science are all just a big mystery to you, think of today’s data scientists as modern-day versions of the old California gold rush prospectors panning the water. They’d sift through virtual mountains of soil, gravel and loads of various river debris, all in search of the tiniest fleck of valuable gold material.

Data science is a similar pursuit, sifting through volumes of raw and processed data, seeking patterns and conclusions that can give you an edge. With the training found in The Dynamic Data Scientist Bundle ft. Power BI, Python, and MATLAB, you can learn the methods and tools to become a digital prospector, plucking extreme value from all that data chaos.

This seven-course, 33-hour collection spotlights some of the most important tactics for organizing and analyzing large data sets to find meaningful takeaways that can inform important decision making in business or scientific endeavors.

Applying structure to all that data is a key first step — and the Easy to Advanced Data Structures course will have students creating efficient algorithms to bring a workable form to all that information. Power BI Desktop: Data Analytics for Everyone introduces new users to Microsoft Power Business Intelligence (BI), a program that allows small businesses to use data analytics, modeling and more just like companies with big internal IT departments.

Python is one of the most versatile programming languages for data science, so a pair of courses — Data Visualization with Python for Beginners and Master Data Visualization with Python — get users familiar with Matplotlib, a Python-based program used to plot data to create visually compelling representations that drive home the meaning of all your numbers. Read the rest

Let’s face it — Microsoft has held a hammerlock on the presentation software market for years. In fact, rough guesses estimate PowerPoint has been used for about 95 percent of all digital presentations ever since the late 90s. 

So to say upstarts like SlideHeap are fighting their way upstream is a colossal understatement. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not a trip worth taking, because sometimes it takes a challenger like SlideHeap to challenge that dominance and raise the presentation game. You can check all that SlideHeap Slide Templates are bringing to the table right now at over 90 percent off for a professional plan at just $29.99.

SlideHeap wants to shave hours off the prep time you spend putting a digital presentation together with unlimited access to over 600 attractive, professional-grade infographics and other design elements that can be customized to just your specifications.

These templates all fit into 25 different categories, so whether you’re doing a sales pitch, an organizational breakdown, a SWOT analysis or just trying to impart the right information, SlideHeap gives you a full graphics set tailored to just your needs. In case you don’t have the artistic chops to craft your own stylistic flourishes of a particular graphic, SlideHeap still has you covered with more than 1,000 different icons, images and more to give every graphic just the right professional touch.

And once you’ve got those slides just the way you want them, you probably won’t have to think twice about how to present them either. Read the rest

Spring may not officially start for a few more days in the northern hemisphere, but Microsoft has been getting a jump on spring cleaning in recent weeks. The tech giant has been blowing out truckloads of factory recertified products at big discounts off their regular price, so it’s a great way to bolster your device arsenal while keeping more dollars in your pocket.

This time around, Seattle’s own is offering up a true gem, a fully certified Microsoft Surface Pro 4 tablet that’s actually even got enough juice to potentially replace your trusty old laptop. And at $912.99, it’s almost 50 percent off its retail price of $1,699.99.

TechRadar just called the Surface Pro 4 an influential device that, despite its elder statesmen status in the Surface family, is still an “excellent device” when placed shoulder-to-shoulder with Microsoft’s latest releases and “a brilliant first choice for creative professionals on the go.”

A look at the specs makes that claim understandable, with a powerful 6th gen Intel Core i7 processor that’s more than capable of sizzling through projects even with multiple apps in use.

Probably the Surface Pro 4’s most distinctive feature is its crystal clear 12.3-inch PixelSense display offering ultra HD resolution and a super-responsive touch screen that still blows away many newer tablets. Couple that screen with the stereo front-firing speakers and it’s a fabulous alternative for those who love to devour movies and other web content for hours.

With a spacious 512GB hard drive and up to 9 hours of battery life, this is a top-quality tablet-laptop hybrid that will have you looking pretty smart, especially if someone knows how much you paid. Read the rest

The Social Network. X-Men Origins: Wolverine. 300. No Country for Old Men.

Other than the fact that these were all giant movies with either massive critical or box office appeal, these films don’t appear to have a lot in common on the surface.

But once you scratch that surface, you’ll find that all four, as well as hundreds of other major motion pictures, were entirely cut and edited using Final Cut Pro. In fact, two of those films actually received Academy Awards for their editing work (we’ll let you try to figure out which ones).

Final Cut Pro has been and remains a Hollywood staple for everyone from students to award-winning professionals. Now, we don’t expect you to win an Oscar for your work, but The Complete Final Cut Pro X Course - Beginner to Intermediate can give even first-time editors the experience needed to use this vastly power software to its ultimate potential.

The training starts from the absolute beginning as new editors get familiar with importing footage, timelines, hotkeys, and all the basics to start assembling a video. However, it won’t take long before new users are skilled enough to start adding transitions, basic visual effects, music and a host of other artistic touches to start making your film look and feel like a professional production.

From there, learners can begin to really elevate their game, using some of the same advanced Final Cut Pro X functions that those multi-million dollar blockbusters use. Training in color grading, exposures, masks and even how to build your own key-frame animation can help you replicate virtually any tone you want to create for your video. Read the rest

Another day, another data breach affecting thousands, another giant international company apologizing and wondering publicly about what went wrong with their cybersecurity.

The latest victim: Virgin Media, who saw someone illegally access user information for about 900,000 Virgin customers. There was no evidence of hacking or compromised financial information here, but every company fears to leave vital customer data vulnerable to theft.

Cybersecurity experts make six-figure salaries for a reason. They are the front line and best defense against the ultimate betrayal of customer loyalty and they’re paid handsomely for their talents. You can start constructing your own career in IT protection with The Cybersecurity Expert Certification Training Bundle. 

This collection of four prep courses is training with a purpose. Across almost four dozen lectures, this training in all aspects of cybersecurity and web-connected systems is geared toward earning you five prime IT security certifications. Those qualifications can be a major resume item to help get you employed as a well-paid cyber defense expert.

Your certification training starts with the responsibilities of a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), entrusted with monitoring and guiding enterprise IT and doing effective security audits to guarantee a well-protected network.

Meanwhile, Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) training elevates those skills as you dig deeper into the management, design, and oversight of an entire interconnected IT system. Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification covers all areas of IT security, while the PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP) training hones in on identifying and eliminating project risk. Read the rest

HD. 4K. LED. Smart sets. It really is a new age for those in the market for a new TV. I mean, could you even have imagined you could affordably bring home a screen over seven feet across even just a few years ago? No, you were probably too busy trying to eke a few more years out of that 24-incher with the rabbit ears.

Well then, it’s well past time to step up your game. And the good news is with all the competition in the TV market, you can buy some truly stellar TV models loaded with cool features at a lot less than you’d probably think. On top of that, we’ve also pulled together five TVs with discounts from $40 to $850.

Clear off the entire living room wall, because this behemoth is truly massive. Despite this 86-inch monster screen offering a movie theater-esque experience in your home, it’s actually less than 4 inches thick. With 4K ultra-high-definition (UHD) and HDR support, you’ll get epic picture quality here. It’s also sporting LG’s own AI ThinQ system with built-in Google Assistant, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa features, so you can also use your voice to control compatible smart home devices.

Meanwhile, VIZIO has four models on sale, all sized to fit your space with each offering full HD and 4K resolution.

First, both the 75-inch and 60-inch VIZIO SmartCast E-Series Ultra HDR Home Theater Display come equipped with VIZIO’s SmartCast system, which allows you to browse and launch top apps like Netflix and Hulu right off your big screen so you’ll never be at a loss for something to watch. Read the rest

Not too long ago, if you wanted to get employed as an IT cloud systems expert, that meant learning Amazon Web Services (AWS). That made sense back when Amazon’s market share was nearly double that of all their closest competitors combined.

But 2020 is a new day. And while AWS is still the undisputed no. 1 cloud services provider in the world, there’s now little question about who’s a solid — and gaining — no. 2. Microsoft Azure has posted big gains in recent years, including scoring a major win over its rival with a massive $10 billion contract to provide cloud services for the U.S. Department of Defense.

While that contract is now tied up in court, it doesn’t diminish Azure’s rapid growth as a respected cloud provider. Right now, you can make sure this new realm is a part of your IT skillset with the training found in The Ultimate Microsoft Azure Administrator Certification Prep Courses and Mock Exams Bundle.

Microsoft currently offers 11 different certification exams to test a user’s knowledge with Azure. This collection of training and practice tests can get you ready to pass most of them.

Whether you’d like to get in as an Azure developer, administrator or architect, coursework will make sure you’re trained in all the right areas while the practice tests get you comfortable with the actual exam.

Through dozens of lectures and scenario-based lab exercises, the courses offer a complete overview on all the benefits and considerations of using cloud services from developing data processing to implementing and optimizing data storage solutions to DevOps processes to security to creating secure, scalable, and reliable business technology solutions. Read the rest

Like any machine, your computer sometimes needs a tune-up, and the more you use it, the more likely it needs some TLC. Although, with plenty of rarely-used and obsolete files, tons of cache storage, extensions, and other power-hogs living on the hard drive, it's difficult to know what's safe to touch (i.e., delete) or even where to find things you'd want to get rid of.

Instead of taking chances with your all-important laptop or desktop computer, call in some professional help that doesn't actually involve making any calls. With a safe all-in-one solution utility, you can effortlessly run a scan of the disk and browsers to clean things up, manage sensitive files, and boost your CPU's speed and performance. This highly-reviewed offering from MacPaw is available for Mac and PC and will have your machine running like new in no time.

CleanMyPC: Junk Cleaner for Windows 7 & Higher

CleanMyPC will do exactly what its name implies. It gets rid of junk files, removes malware, keeps the Windows registry clean, shows you all the auto-run items so you can disable them, disables Hibernation mode to save gigabytes, and shreds sensitive files so they can't be recovered. It even scans your browsers to gather online activity for your review.

CleanMyPC is available now for $67.99, a savings of 24% on MSRP.

CleanMyMac X: Junk Cleaner for Mac 10.10 & Higher

The Mac version of this software is impressive. It frees up to 5 times more disk space, offers 2.5 times more optimized apps, and boasts 4 times faster boot time. Read the rest

Taking care of yourself is certainly trendy, but that doesn't mean everyone is doing it. Or at least, that doesn't mean everyone is doing it in ways that will really, truly care for their mental and physical health. That's where sleep comes in. Quality, quantity, and consistency in your sleep patterns will improve your life in almost every way.

Between work, blue light, relationship anxiety, and everyday adulting, our brains are frazzled. Relaxation and restful sleep can be hard to come by, but this feature-packed highly-rated meditation app will help anyone seriously chill out.

Relax Melodies is a doctor- and neuropsychologist-recommended sleep and meditation app that combines soothing sounds, bedtime stories, breathing techniques, body-mind exercises, and more to help you overcome insomnia, tinnitus, night-time anxiety, and daily stress. And if you somehow can't find the right audio for your needs, you can create your own, thanks to the very-cool DIY soundscape feature.

As recently as 2018 it was the most positively reviewed app in the history of the App Store, currently holding a strong 4.8 stars with over 180k ratings, not to mention the nearly 280k reviews and 4.6 stars in the Google Play store. That's a whole lot of people experiencing the most relaxed nights of their lives.

Get half off a lifetime subscription to the beloved Relax Melodies Meditation App for $124.99 and bring some calmness to your day anywhere, anytime from your iOS, watchOS, or Android device. Read the rest

We’re all shooting heaps and heaps of smartphone images and videos. You probably even snapped a picture or captured some footage today. And that media will likely sit there on your phone until you’re startled one day to discover that your storage limit is mere megapixels away.

It’s not that backing up your data and clearing space on your device is some hated chore. It’s just a factor that never crosses your mind until you’re reminded.

Pred Technologies knows backups aren’t on the top of your to-do list. So they made the TOKK Photo Cube do that thinking for you. The trick here is that the TOKK integrates the backup process with another vital phone responsibility — and this is one you absolutely won’t forget to do: phone charging.

The TOKK attaches easily to your phone’s charging cable, so whenever you connect to power up, the backup automatically begins. The Photo Cube copies all your phone data from photos and videos to calendar alerts and contact information. The 64GB memory is spacious enough to soak uploads of new content, then sends you a reminder notification once its microSD memory card is full. After you transfer that data to a more permanent storage option, just pop the TOKK back on and the unit starts backing up again right from where it left off.

With TOKK, you’ll not only never be forced into making that rough “Sophie’s Choice” decision about which files to keep and which to delete, but you’ll never accidentally lose something you wanted so desperately wanted to keep ever again. Read the rest

For professional or personal purposes, your writing should make you look good. Easier said than done for many—yes, even those of us getting paid to write. "Everyone needs an editor," as they say. Why not ensure you always have one, including in your pocket on your smartphone? Nail down your grammar, spelling, style, punctuation, and translation for all your authoring needs with WhiteSmoke's smart web-based writing reviewer.

Using Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Statistical Machine Translation (SMT) technologies, WhiteSmoke not only corrects simple errors but also improves your writing style, tone, and clarity. Because it's web-based, the software can check your words for sentence structure, capitalization, and more from almost any device in almost any format.

Rely on it at work or at home to prevent typos in things like emails, reports, and applications as well as identify stylistic errors (including monotony and tenses) and suggest ways to correct them, helping you become a better writer over time. It can also find less-obvious or downright confusing punctuation errors, which may assist you in avoiding them in the future. A cool bonus feature is its ability to translate texts, websites, and more in over 50 languages, so whether you're looking to expand your marketing reach or understand a restaurant menu, you're covered.

Get a 5-year subscription to the well-rated WhiteSmoke Grammar Checker Web Plan for $39.99, a savings of 93%.

  Read the rest

From outlines to lists to freeform scrawl that tumbles and twists its way across a page, everybody’s got their own style for taking notes. That style often comes from years of scholastic and professional arenas, refining the process for retaining key information that works best for you. And, as you probably learned from borrowing your buddy’s chem notes, trying to decipher somebody else’s takeaways from a lecture or assignment often requires a cryptography course of its own.

Technology is now stepping in to help put some form to all that note-taking function with the help of tools like the NEWYES Smart Pen and Writing Pad, a mostly paperless method of automatically digitizing and saving every critical piece of data — and even all your idle doodles.

The pen actually works two ways, with both traditional paper and ink or with full digitization. With the ink pen cartridge, you just jot down your notes as you would with a typical pen. However, by using the special NEWYES paper with its unique microdot pattern, your writings are tracked like GPS, immediately transferring what you’re writing in ink to a digital file in your connected phone or other devices.

Of course, if you want to abandon the old-school method completely, you can by changing to the stylus attachment and using the pen on the accompanying LCD pad, which also translates every pen movement on to your device.

In addition to capturing all your notes in digital form in real-time, the NEWYES app also lets you transform handwriting into written text for easier reading, record audio to accompany your note or capture video as your note is being written if you’d like to actually watch as your work comes to life. Read the rest

First off, we wanted to give you one last reminder that we’re holding on to an iPhone 11, a pair of AirPods and a Belkin wireless charging pad, all with your name on them. They’re free — and they’re just waiting for you to make a move. All you’ve gotta do is enter the iPhone 11 giveaway by filling out the form and getting it back to us by March 9th. Be the randomly-selected winner -- and you’re instantly teched up. And it costs you nothing.

Of course, not every offer out there is basically something for nothing. Below are a handful of computer accessories that, while not being free, are all on sale at some pretty hefty discounts.

If you want to upgrade your Mac setup, you can step up to a cool new Apple Magic Keyboard and mouse tandem and save over $50. The Apple Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad (Certified Refurbished, $99.99; originally $129.99) is wireless with scissor mechanisms beneath each key for added stabilization. And the Apple Magic Mouse 2 (Certified Refurbished, $54.99; originally $79.99) tracks easier and moves with less resistance for a perfect great combo.

Power on the go is always a huge consideration, and each of these items can help make sure that’s never an issue, no matter where to travel.  If you’re short on outlets, the HyperGear 3-in-1 Multi-Charger, Holder and Nightlight ($19.99; originally $29.99) has two grounded outlets and 2 USB ports and it even holds your phone while it charges. Read the rest

In an age where blockbuster MMOs and aggressive action-adventure games dominate the landscape, there’s always something to be said for smart, atmospheric, slow-burn gaming that truly forces players to stretch their minds rather than their firepower to notch a victory.

That’s why the sci-fi themed, first-person puzzler Lightmatter has already started building a following as one of the most engaging and demanding new games of 2020.

A descendant of past puzzle classics like Myst and Portal, Lightmatter finds the player stuck in the halls of the seemingly abandoned Lightmatter Technologies building. The company’s mad scientist of a CEO has unleashed a new power source called Lightmatter. As always, scientific tampering has its downsides — and the unholy side-effect of this experiment are weaponized shadows.

Yes, all the shadows in this mostly darkened building can kill you dead. Unfortunately, there’s no simple light switch to be found either. You’re going to have to get creative and be resourceful to maintain constant access to life-sustaining light, solve the widening pool of mysteries found in the building and ultimately stop Lightmatter’s sinister plot before it’s too late.

In addition to surviving the trek through seemingly endless tunnels and rooms holding both hidden knowledge and doom, you’ll also be sucked in by the visual creativity of Lightmatter as various light tricks and tactics offer some eye-candy dazzle to this tightly-wound story.

Created by Tunnel Vision Games, Lightmatter is already kicking up a lot of attention in gaming circles, generating a host of very positive reviews on game platform Steam. Read the rest

Tech moves so fast that practically the minute you lift the latest, fastest, most tricked-out new laptop on the market off the store shelf, the staff is filling that space with a newer, faster, even more, tricked-out model.

That’s just the speed of advancement — and that march is unstoppable. So instead of paying a premium for a laptop that’ll be discounted in a few months, it pays to always consider the factory-certified route. That approach nets you a recent model with comparable features to models still in their boxes, all guaranteed to work like new at a savings of hundreds off their original sticker price.

Microsoft is moving some of that open-box stock right now with a sale on factory recertified Surface 2 laptops, now more than half off their original price at just $1,199.99.

Sleek and light, with improved speed and performance, the Surface 2 is designed for multitaskers. Powered by a super-fast 8th generation Intel Core i5 processor running at 1.6GHz, this laptop has the juice to juggle multiple active apps all running at once seamlessly. With 8GB of RAM and a spacious 256GB hard drive, this is more than enough machine to handle anything from basic web-surfing and emailing to more labor-intensive app work.

Rocking a 13.5-inch PixelSense Display with an interactive touchscreen and razor-sharp resolution, it’s perfectly suited for artists and other visual creators, not to mention anyone who likes to binge a whole show on Netflix in a single sitting. And with battery life approaching 15 hours, you probably won’t even have to plug in to finish the season. Read the rest

Back in 2007, high schooler Mike Radenbaugh got tired of pumping his old bicycle back and forth to campus every day. Instead, he pulled together some parts, attached an electric motor to his bike — and his first ebike was born.

It wouldn’t be his last. 13 years later, Radenbaugh heads up Seattle-based Rad Power Bikes, the largest and fastest-growing ebike company in North America.

And before you dismiss ebikes as cute, but inconsequential tech toys, consider this: 28 percent of ebike buyers told a National Institute for Transportation and Communities survey that they bought their bike specifically to replace driving. And when you know that the average car trip is less than six miles, the prospect of zipping to your destination and back with an electric-powered pedal assist starts feeling a lot more realistic.

Factor in the dollar savings on gas, the reduced carbon footprint and just the enjoyment of being outside rather than sequestered in your car, and it isn’t hard to see why Rad Power Bikes is seeing their sales figures explode.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to make a great product too. Rad Power Bikes launched with the exotic RadRover electric fat tire bike, a bold step away from traditional, more dainty ebike models. Since then, their ebikes are all designed with the same vision, combining function, power, comfort, and utility.

In addition to high-quality bikes with features head-and-shoulders above their competitors, each model is also tailored to specific user needs. If you’re a busy parent, the RadWagon can haul kids around. Read the rest

Moving forward in any career requires constant learning. The day you’re no longer open to new systems and new methods and new ways of improving how you go about your craft is the day someone else will learn those skills — and make you obsolete.

For decades, there’s been no more reliable arbiter of what IT professionals need to know than the non-profit trade association CompTIA. Recognition as a CompTIA-certified pro is among the highest designations a tech expert can achieve.

You can get the complete training needed to pass some of the most critical CompTIA certification exams with this Complete CompTIA Certification Training Bundle. Right now, the bundle is over 90 percent off, just $49.99.

This collection of 12 courses will take students over 200 hours to complete. But once they’re done, they’ll have all the knowledge needed to pass vital CompTIA testing, like the all-important core CompTIA A+ (220-1001) and (220-1002) courses. Over nearly 30 hours, this training gets into all aspects of IT service, including mobile devices, networking technology, hardware, cloud computing, network troubleshooting, security, operational procedures and more.

From there, students can go deep into more focused fields with the background to add extra certifications in more core IT disciplines. Learners can earn CompTIA PenTest+ qualifications with experience in network and system penetration testing; CompTIA Security+ certification with knowledge of different types of threats and attacks, networking technologies and tools, secure design architecture and more; and CompTIA Mobility+, with training in mobile device management, troubleshooting, security, and network infrastructure. Read the rest