Mid Century Fiber

            Everyone online, at least once, has fallen for an image that has been edited. Detecting manipulated images is essential to verify authenticity and prevent misinformation. Here are some techniques and tools you can use so you don’t get fooled again. Visual Inspection: Look for unnatural distortions, especially around specific features.  Warped lines, blurry edges, and pixelation may indicate manipulation . Analyze lighting consistency. If shadows don’t align or appear unnatural, the image might be edited. Low-resolution images or poor-quality edits can be red flags. Even if you were paying close attention to the above tips, there are very talented digital artists that can fool even the most careful person. Luckily, there are several online tools that you can use to help verify the images you are looking at. Online Tools: FotoForensics: This tool uses Error Level Analysis (ELA) to identify areas with different compression l...

            The first Friday in June is National Donut Day, started back in 1938 by the Salvation Army in order to honor  the women who served the treats to soldiers during World War 1.  Today many chains such as Dunkin' and Krispy Kreme celebrate the day with deals, but if that doesn't satisfy your sweet tooth, here are a list of 10 baking shows and where to stream them.  As always if you need help with anything streaming or smart home related you can contact us at 309-778-8611 or by emailing us at OneSource@midcentury.com The Great British Baking Show (Netflix) :  This beloved competition series features amateur bakers tackling challenges related to cakes, bread, pastries, and more.  Dr. Seuss Baking Challenge (Prime Video) : Professional cake designers and pastry chefs compete to re-create stories from Dr. Seuss books.  Sugar Rush (Netflix) : Teams race against the clock to create stunning desser...

       It's national Smile Day, so let's help turn those frowns upside down with some laughter. Streaming provides access to many options when it comes to stand-up comedy and below, you'll find some of your options that are sure to make you smile.  As always if you need help with anything streaming or smart home related you can contact us at 309-778-8611 or by emailing us at OneSource@midcentury.com Netflix: Netflix has made a huge investment in stand-up comedy recently. Their catalog includes a wide range of specials from both fan favorites and emerging comedians.  Whether you’re into classic acts or want to discover new talent, Netflix has a vast library of specials to choose from.  Additionally, you can explore specific comedy genres using Netflix’s “ secret codes ,” such as “Stand-up Comedy” (code 11559) or “Dark Comedies” (code 869) . Comedy Central on Paramount+: Paramount+ offers on-demand access to Comedy Central’s impressive back catalog...

  It's May 23rd and its National Drinking with Chickens Day (yes, it's  real ). I wanted to focus on a popular streaming platform and channel called RFD-TV and how you can watch it.  What is it?       RFD-TV features programming devoted to rural issues, concerns, and interests. The channels name stems from the Rural Free Delivery system, which was the name for the United States Postal Service's system of delivering mail directly to rural patrons. It features a variety of shows related to agriculture, equine sports, cooking, music and other topics related to rural living.  How to watch.     RFD-TV Now:     Cost: $10 a month or $90 per year RFD-TV offers its own direct-to-consumer subscription service that you can subscribe to on your streaming device such as Roku, Firestick, Android and more. This is great for watching RFD-TV content without having to subscribe to other channels.      DirecTV Stream:    ...

          Today Google issued another warning to Chrome users to update their browser ASAP due to a critical security flaw . So, I thought it would be a good idea to remind everyone of some guidelines to help protect your data.  Keep Your Browser Updated: Regularly update your browser to the latest version. Updates often include security patches that address vulnerabilities. Use a Secure Browser: Choose for browsers like Chrome or Firefox that receive frequent automatic security updates. Avoid using outdated or unsupported browsers. Limit Browser Extensions: Install only essential extensions. Review and remove any unnecessary or outdated extensions. Enable HTTPS-Only Mode: Configure your browser to use HTTPS connections whenever possible. Some browsers have an HTTPS-only mode that forces secure connections. Install a Reliable Adblocker: Ad blockers not only improve browsing speed (there are some major exceptions to this suc...

     As the saying goes, with April Showers brings Home Automation, or something like that. Below are ten neat tricks to help get you the most of your Alexa devices.  As always if you need help with anything streaming or smart home related you can contact us at 309-778-8611 or by emailing us at  OneSource@midcentury.com Multiple Profiles: If you have multiple people in your household with Amazon accounts, you can add them to your Alexa household profile. While this won’t give separate shopping or to-do lists, it allows you to share content libraries. To switch profiles, just say, "Alexa, switch profiles". Voice Profiles: Set up voice profiles to personalize results. For instance, if you ask, “Alexa, what’s on my calendar?” it will read events from your calendar. If someone else asks Alexa to play music, it will select music based on their personal preferences. Change the Wake Word: If you’re tired of saying “Alexa” or have someone named Alexa in your house,...