With Android 5.0, Google introduced a new “Heads Up” notification system for incoming calls and messages. While the new incoming call interface seems to be a rousing success, the rest of the Heads Up system has been met with much less enthusiasm from users.

For one, the notifications cannot be hidden without being dismissed. This means that a solid 10% of your screen is occupied by the new Heads Up notifications for what seems like forever, unless you’re willing to dismiss the new incoming message. A second major drawback is that the old “Ticker” style notifications that scrolled past… more

With Android 5.0, Google introduced a new “Heads Up” notification system for incoming calls and messages. While the new incoming call interface seems to be a rousing success, the rest of the Heads Up system has been met with much less enthusiasm from users.

For one, the notifications cannot be hidden without being dismissed. This means that a solid 10% of your screen is occupied by the new Heads Up notifications for what seems like forever, unless you’re willing to dismiss the new incoming message. A second major drawback is that the old “Ticker” style notifications that scrolled past… more

When Google announced its new Android TV platform, one of the features they advertised was a home screen that automatically reorganized your apps based on how frequently you used them. Unfortunately, this feature either didn’t make the cut, or is still under development, since the home screen on the Nexus Player always remains static.

So if you’ve grown tired of flipping past apps that you hardly ever use in order to launch your favorite Android TV programs, you might want to consider hiding or removing some of the bloat. There are two different ways to go about this, so you’ll surely be able… more

There are songs that we love, songs that make us sad, and songs that change the way we view the world—and that’s something that Steve Jobs knew all too well.

“I was very lucky to grow up in a time when music really mattered. It wasn’t just something in the background; it really mattered to a generation of kids growing up. It really changed the world.” – Jobs

While iTunes provides ample stats on how you listen to your music, iOS’s Music app doesn’t show any of that information. If you want to see how many times you played a song or what type of genres you’re more inclined to listen to, you… more

If you’re a sushi lover but not an expert sushi maker, you can still enjoy the flavors of sushi rolls at home with these deconstructed sushi dishes.

These are good not just for those challenged when it comes to rolling techniques, but also for people on special diets or who have calorie restrictions. People who can’t eat rice can use quinoa or freekah instead, and low-carb people can eat all they want when it comes to deconstructed sushi salads.

Another benefit of these deconstructed sushi dishes is that your fish goes a little further, in terms of taste and cost.
Salmon tostada.
How to Buy… more

There are songs that we love, songs that make us sad, and songs that change the way we view the world—and that’s something that Steve Jobs knew all too well.

“I was very lucky to grow up in a time when music really mattered. It wasn’t just something in the background; it really mattered to a generation of kids growing up. It really changed the world.” – Jobs

While iTunes provides ample stats on how you listen to your music, iOS’s Music app doesn’t show any of that information. If you want to see how many times you played a song or what type of genres you’re more inclined to listen to, you… more

As one of the most frequently used Android browsers, making Chrome work faster and more efficiently is something we can surely all appreciate. And just like its computer-based counterpart, there are experimental flags for the mobile app that can speed browsing up significantly.

But there’s more we can do to speed up Chrome on Android than just enabling flags, and here I’ll be showing you how to create home screen shortcuts for all of your favorite websites. That way, you can jump right to them in Chrome without having to look through your bookmarks.
Video: .
In the Chrome Browser, navigate to… more

The Nexus Player is one of the most robust set-top streaming devices on the market. This is mainly due to the fact that the base software it runs is a direct fork of Android, which is a very powerful operating system itself.

Much like an Android smartphone, apps and games can be sideloaded on the Nexus Player. This means that even if an app is not available through the Google Play Store, it can still be installed via alternate sources.

Sideloading apps on the Nexus Player is a relatively easy process once you’ve got everything set up, and a Bluetooth mouse would be helpful for this process… more

Cooking with animal blood is as old as civilization itself. I promise that your ancient ancestors, no matter where you’re from, didn’t have the luxury of throwing away any part of the animal, including the very lifeblood that used to run through it. Animal blood, along with everything but the skin, would invariably end up in the stew.

And why not? Blood is a wonderfully gamey thickening agent that adds texture and flavor to all sorts of dishes that we wouldn’t think about today. Unfortunately, as we’ve moved away from rural living, our connection with what we consume has been lost and our… more

Willpower is a pretty significant word. It’s the difference between sticking with a clean eating diet and diving face-first into a plate of brownies. It’s what drags you out of bed on Monday mornings and into work rather than letting you stay snuggled under the covers asleep. And, most importantly, it’s the kick in the butt we all require to both accomplish goals and make changes.

Use Your Imagination

Sometimes, obtaining the willpower to power through challenges and goals only requires the mental capacity to do so. And according to Psychology Today, all our brains need to do is imagine… more