Tag: Computers

Your Apple ID is a one-in-all login for everything Apple. While it’s essential for using an Apple device and Apple services, there can be instances when you want to delete your Apple ID permanently. For example, you might have set up multiple Apple IDs and now wish to keep only one and delete the rest. Also, you might be leaving the Apple ecosystem and want to delete your digital footprint. Regardless of the reason, Apple lets you delete your iCloud account without any fuss. I know you must be having a lot of questions like what happens to my data, iCloud photos, app purchases, and more. But you need not worry as we’re here to answer all of them and sort out all the basics. Without any ado, let’s begin with our guide on how to delete an Apple account if you no longer need it.

What happens When You Delete an Apple ID Account?

Before we talk about the steps to delete an Apple ID, you should know what happens when you do it. After all, deleting your Apple account has far-reaching effects which you should not take casually. When you delete your iCloud account, you’ll lose access to saved data and several services. Let’s have a look at the changes that happen after the deletion.

• Apple will delete all the account details associated with your Apple ID. So, you lose access to all Apple services like Apple Pay, iTunes, iMessage, App Store, Find My iPhone, FaceTime, and more.
• You won’t be able to access App Store purchases or downloadable content on any of the Apple services.
• The data stored in your Apple services will be permanently deleted.
• You will not receive Apple Cash statements or credits.
• Your documents, photos, and videos stored in iCloud will be permanently deleted.
• You would no longer receive FaceTime calls, iMessages, or iCloud Mail.
• You won’t be able to use the email address associated with your Apple ID with your new or existing Apple ID account. To ensure this, a record of the email address will remain with Apple.
• If you have any subscriptions linked to the Apple account, they will be automatically cancelled at the end of their billing cycles. You cannot use your Apple ID to access them.
• Furthermore, Apple Support cases or Apple Store appointments linked to your account are cancelled. However, it won’t affect your repairs or Apple store orders.
• In case you’ve enrolled in Apple’s iPhone upgrade programme, you should continue with the payment cycle.
• Once the Apple ID account is deleted, you cannot restore your data or reopen/reactivate your account.
• Apple only keeps data related to financial reporting or data needed to comply with a court settlement. Except for this, your Apple ID will be useless.

Things To Do Before You Delete Your Apple ID

For a seamless deletion process and to avoid the loss of any personal data, Apple recommends performing a few actions before you permanently delete your Apple iCloud account. Let’s check them out:

• Back up any important data on your iPhone or get a copy of your data from Apple. If you’re a beginner, don’t miss our detailed guide on how to back up iPhone data.
• Sign out of all the devices that are linked to your Apple ID account. If you miss this, you won’t be able to use your devices.
• Browse through and review your active subscriptions. While they stand cancelled at the end of their billing cycles, you should review them to figure out if you want to continue using a service.

How to Delete Apple ID Account

Once you’ve understood the after-effects and decide to delete your Apple ID account, you’ll have to go along several steps to request Apple to delete your account permanently. Here’s what you need to do:

• Open privacy.apple.com and sign in using your Apple ID credentials. You may need to perform 2FA to continue if you have enabled it.
• On the Apple ID & Privacy page, tap on Continue.

• Under Delete your account, tap/click on Request to delete your account.
• On the next page, select a reason for your deletion from the dropdown menu and hit the Continue button.

• Apple will now brief you on what happens when you delete your account. To proceed, tap on Continue.
• Next, review the Deletion Terms & Conditions, tick the checkbox, and tap on Continue.
• Now, choose how you wish to receive account status updates and tap on Continue.
• You’ll get an access code. Make sure to take a screenshot on your iPhone, print it, or write it somewhere. Tap on Continue.

• Now, enter the access code and click on Continue.
• Go through the final reminders and then tap on Delete account to confirm your decision.
• Once you’re on the confirmation screen, click on Sign out.

It’s worth mentioning that Apple account deletion isn’t an instant process. Rather, it’s a request to Apple to delete your account and related data. Apple has a standard process where it will verify the account deletion request, and it may take up to 7 days to delete your Apple ID.

During this verification period, your Apple ID will still be active and you have a chance to reactivate your account. All you have to do is contact Apple Support and provide the access code. Once Apple verifies your request, it will delete your Apple ID permanently and there will be no way to get it back.

How to Deactivate an Apple ID

Deleting your Apple ID is a permanent action, and it can’t be reverted. If you aren’t actively using your Apple account but may need it in future, you can go for temporary deactivation instead of deletion. When deactivated, your Apple ID is temporarily suspended, so you can’t sign in or access your account or any Apple services, including iCloud, FaceTime, App Store, Apple Pay, or more. That said, Apple keeps your account and all the data on its servers. Here’s how to deactivate your Apple ID account:

• Visit privacy.apple.com and sign in with your Apple ID. In case you don’t remember the password, here’s how to reset your Apple ID password.
• Under Temporarily deactivate your account section, click on Request to deactivate your account.
• From the dropdown menu, select the reason for your deactivation request and then click on Continue.

• Then, follow the on-screen prompts, save your unique access code, and continue with the Apple ID deactivation process.

Reactivate Apple ID Account

As long as you have the unique access code, it’s easy to reactivate or recover your Apple ID. All you have to do is contact Apple Support and give them the access code. After that, the team will help you reactivate your account. Unfortunately, if you lose the access code, there’s no way to get your Apple ID back. So, be very sure to save the code somewhere. Take a screenshot, save it to your files, or mail it to yourself; whatever suits you.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the difference between deleting and deactivating Apple ID account?

Deactivating your Apple ID is a temporary action which can be reversed while deleting it is a permanent action which can’t be undone. When you deactivate your Apple ID, you can’t access your account, saved data, and Apple services, but all the data is saved on Apple’s servers. On the flip side, when you delete your Apple ID, you completely lose access to your account and everything is erased permanently.

2. How do I permanently delete my Apple ID?

Visit Apple’s Data and Privacy website, sign in to your Apple ID account, click on Request to delete your account, select the reason for deletion, and follow on-screen instructions. Once Apple verifies your request (which may take up to 7 days), it will permanently delete your Apple ID.

3. Can I change my Apple ID without deleting my existing account?

Yes, you can easily change your Apple ID without deleting your existing Apple ID. That said, you cannot use multiple IDs at a time. You’ll have to sign out from the existing account and sign in with the new account to switch your Apple IDs. For detailed steps, head to our guide on how to change your Apple ID.

That’s how you can delete your Apple ID. Take some time, think about it, and ask yourself if you really want to do this. If yes, make sure to perform all the mandatory actions so you don’t lose your important data. In case you aren’t sure, you can deactivate your Apple ID account, save the access code, and reactivate your account whenever you want to. If you have any questions, feel free to drop them in the comments section below.

DxOMark, a reputable source for smartphone buyers who want to compare flagships before purchasing, has made its verdict on the Google Pixel 8. Now, it goes without saying that the phone has technically worse cameras than some of the current flagships.

To illustrate, the Google Pixel 8 doesn’t come with a telephoto camera. It only has a standard 50 MP primary sensor with a 12 MP ultrawide. But surprisingly, DxOMark has positioned it better than some of its competitors. It got an overall score of 148, while the iPhone 15 has 145 and the Galaxy S23 Ultra got 140.

Google Pixel 8 Sits at 9th Position on DxOMark’s Rankings

DxOMark’s rankings are based on smartphones getting tested under the same extensive process. This process includes shooting about 1500 images and capturing dozens of clips that total more than two hours of video. Through this test, the team compares the smartphones and sees how each holds up. And Google Pixel 8 did well.

The Pixel 8 is just 5 points behind the Pixel 8 Pro, which sits in 4th position in the ranking of DxOMark. Behind the Pixel 8 is the Google Pixel 7 Pro, which is in 10th position. And the iPhone 15 sits at 14th position, while the Galaxy S23 Ultra is at 21st position in the list.

DxOMark notes that the Google Pixel 8 struggles at high zoom levels. And that’s pretty much expected, as the smartphone doesn’t come with a telephoto sensor. It relies on digital zoom when set beyond the 1x magnification level.

But interestingly, the Pixel 8 delivers better portrait shots than the Pixel 8 Pro. In addition, the phone offers great performance with accurate white balance and fast autofocus. These two make the smartphone deliver a consistent experience. Overall, DxOMark’s analysis makes it pretty clear that the smartphone is a great purchase for the money. You can read more about the analysis at this link.

Are you actively looking for a new Minecraft server to play on, but have no idea which one to choose? Would you like to know what a server offers before you join it? Are you a parent and just want your child to have a nice and safe experience with other people on the server? Well, all of these opportunities and even more are now presented to us by the Minecraft developer Mojang itself. Yeah, Mojang has now released an official Minecraft server list, and we’ll be diving deep into everything you should know about it.

Official Minecraft Server List Released

If you visit the official Minecraft server list website, you will see some of the servers already showcased on the home page. Though, you can also use the quick links or the search bar to view a ton more options.

Every server provides you with the essential information in its description. There, you will find the server details, who the server is for, exciting features it includes, server rules, server badges, and events. Server badges are accomplishments that the server earned. They are geared towards a safe environment and enjoyment for players of all ages. Servers also run events and short occasions that promote casual or competitive features with or without prizes.

The amazing fact about the official Minecraft server list is that you’ll find servers for both Java and Bedrock editions easily here. Not only that but thanks to a carefully designed site pattern, you will find the server that you’ll love in a matter of minutes.

If you’re a server owner and would like to apply to join the list, you can do so for free, but meeting certain requirements is necessary. You will need to comply with the Minecraft usage guidelines, provide official contact information, and relevant info for the server’s description. In addition, there will be periodical check-ins to make sure the server list is up to date.

The official Minecraft server list will only continue to grow by adding more amazing servers and improving the system. If you’re looking to join a server, then don’t hesitate any longer and start browsing the endless server options. And don’t forget to visit us again and share what your favorite server is in the comments below.

Rapoo, a well-known gaming brand for gaming accessories and peripherals, has launched a new gaming mouse. Called the Rapoo VT9 Air, the wireless gaming mouse is targeted right at competitive gamers.

When it comes to the key highlights, the VT9 Air brings an attractive semi-transparent shell, a professional-grade mouse sensor, and a very lightweight build. Rapoo is offering all these for CNY249, which is around US$34.

Main Highlights of Rapoo VT9 Air

The design is one of the main standouts of the VT9 Air. Rapoo designed it for functionality, comfort, and aesthetics. Regarding comfort, the wireless gaming mouse weighs just around 59 grams, which is considerably lightweight for a wireless mouse.

In terms of aesthetics, the Rapoo VT9 Air has a semi-transparent shell that gives it a unique look. And as for functionality, the wireless gaming mouse is full of features. It has an 800 mAh battery under the hood, which can last for up to 160 hours after a single charge.

For the mouse sensor, Rapoo has chosen the custom PAW 3398. It’s the same sensor found in the Rapoo VT9 Pro, already known for precise tracking. To make gamers get the most out of this sensor, the VT9 Air offers both 8K wired and 4K wireless connectivity.

That is, in the wired mode, the Rapoo VT9 Air delivers an 8 kHz polling rate with an extremely quick response timing of 125 μs. And in wireless mode, the mouse offers a 4 kHz polling rate and a response time of 250 μs. These low-latency and high-accuracy features are very important for competitive games.

Other than that, the Rapoo VT9 Air boasts six PTFE Teflon feet on the bottom. This ensures smooth gliding. The mouse is extremely customizable. With its software, you can adjust the DPI in seven different levels, customize its ten buttons, set macros, and more.

Baizhu is a character that’s not talked about or brought up often because he’s a completely support and healing-oriented character. That’s because healers aren’t given the attention they deserve and players are too obsessed with dealing with huge numbers. And this is not the player’s fault but rather HoYoverse’s since a character either needs to deal huge damage or provide buffs that make them worth considering. Baizhu does both but is limited to Dendro reactions. However, with his rerun in Genshin Impact 4.2. if you’re considering building him, in this article, let’s look at the best builds and weapons for Baizhu in Genshin Impact.

Best Baizhu Builds in Genshin Impact

The best build for Baizhu is Jadefall’s Splendor combined with the 4-piece Deepwood Memories artifact set. All you need is HP% Goblet, Sands, and Circlet, and have as much HP on Baizhu as possible to maximize his healing and the elemental reactions buff you get from his passives. Besides, ensure you have a respectable Elemental Mastery in sub-stats to aid in better reaction damage numbers. Here’s a list of all the great build artifacts you can have on him.

• 4-piece Deepwood Memories (Great for boosting overall damage)
• 4-piece Ocean-Hued Clam (Great for Healing Build)
• 2-piece Millelith + 2-piece Deepwood Memories (For healing and Dendro damage)
• 4-piece Noblesse Oblige (For Aggravate teams)

Since Baizhu’s Healing and Passive are more effective the more HP you have on him, go for HP% for the Sands, Goblet, and Circlet. Do remember that your Baizhu won’t provide extra buffs if his HP exceeds 50,000. Hence, if yours exceeds the same, swap out one of the Sands, Goblet, and Circlet for an ER% Sands/Goblet/Circlet.

4-piece Deepwood Memories or 4-piece Ocean-Hued Clam are both excellent choices for Baizhu. The former helps increase Dendro Damage by 15% and the 4-piece decreases the opponent’s Dendro resistance by 30%, which, combined with Baizhu’s passive, should considerably increase the overall damage of Burning, Bloom, Hyperbloom, and Burgeon by 2% per 1000 HP (100% max) and Spread and Aggravate damage by 0.8% per 1000 HP (40% max).

Ocean-Hued Clam, on the other hand, is a great artifact for healer Baizhu. A 2-piece set grants the user a 15% Healing Bonus while a 4-piece increases damage based on HP.

Baizhu Build: Talents

Baizhu has a great mix of skills that give him a unique play style that’s a mix of both Zhongli and Kokomi. Here are all his talents.

• Normal Attack – The Classics of Acupuncture: Performs four consecutive attacks that deal Dendro damage, a charged attack that consumes certain stamina and deals AoE Dendro Damage, and a plunging attack that, upon impact, also deals Dendro Damage.
• Elemental Skill – Universal Diagnosis: Controls a Gossamer Sprite that attacks nearby enemies one after another, dealing Dendro damage. After three attacks, the same returns and heals all party members based on Baizhu’s max HP.
• Elemental Burst – Holistic Revivification: Baizhu enters into a “Pulsing Clarity State” and creates a shield that absorbs Dendro damage with 250% effectiveness. In this state, Baizhu generates a new shield every 2.5 seconds.
  This shield will heal your character based on Baizhu’s Max HP as well as attack enemies by using Spiritveins which deal Dendro damage when — A character is protected by Seamless Sheld, a new shield is generated, and when the shield expires.

Baizhu Passives

Baizhu shines as a support and healer and his passives play a massive role in aiding the party, both with healing bonus and attack buffs.

• Passive-1 – Five Fortunes Forever: Baizhu gains different effects based on the current HP of the active character. If HP is less than 50%, Baizhu gains a 20% healing bonus. If it’s greater than 50%, Baizhu gains a 25% Dendro Damage bonus.
• Passive-2 – All Things Are of the Earth: When healed by the shield, characters gain the Year of Verdant Favor where for every 1000 HP of Baizhu, the characters gain 2% of Burning, Bloom, Hyperbloom, and Burgeon damage bonus (Up to 50,000 HP and max 100%). Similarly, they gain a 0.8% Aggravate and Spread bonus ( up to 50,000 HP and max 40%).
• Passive-3 – Herbal Nourishment: When Baizhu is in the party and you pick up harvestable items from the surroundings, he will heal your currently active character for 2.5% of his Max HP.

Best Baizhu Weapons

Jadefall’s Splendor is one of the best weapons for Baizhu; It is his signature weapon in the end. However, like most people, if you can’t afford to pull on the weapon banner, there are other options. As HP is one of the main things to focus on when building Baizhu, it’s preferable to have the HP sub-stat on the weapon. Some of the catalysts with HP% as a sub-stat and decent passive for Baizhu are:

• Jadefall’s Splendor (Best overall weapon)
• Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers (Best for support)
• Prototype Amber (Great for heal support)
• Favonius Codex (Great for making up for low Energy Recharge)
• Wandering Evenstar (Great for making up for low Elemental Mastery)

Is Baizhu Worth Wishing For?

Baizhu is a great support and healer and is worth adding if you need continuous healing because of your bad dodging shields. Not to mention, he can also shield and drastically increase the overall damage from reactions. However, if you already have shielders like Zhongli or a healer like Samgonomiya Kokomi, you may skip Baizhu. Overall, he falls in the B-Tier category in our Genshin Impact Character tier list.

And that was our Baizhu build in Genshin Impact. Are you pulling for Baizhu in Genshin Impact 4.2 or Furina? Let us know in the comments section below.

Three Google researchers recently published a paper on ArXiv on AI progress. The paper reports that the deep neural network transformer, the underlying technology in the field of AI, is not good at generalizations. Transformers are the basis of large language models behind AI tools such as ChatGPT. In the new paper, the authors Steve Yadlowsky, Lyric Doshi, and Nilesh Tripuraneni wrote, “Transformers exhibit various failure modes when a task or function requires something beyond the scope of the pre-trained data.

The report claims that AI can find simple tasks difficult to execute if they are beyond its training. However, the deep neural network transformers are good at performing tasks related to training data and are not very good at handling tasks beyond this scope. For those hoping to achieve Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), this issue cannot be ignored. AGI is a term used by technologists to describe a hypothetical AI that can do anything a human can do. As it stands, AI is very good at performing specific tasks but doesn’t transfer skills across domains as humans do.

Pedro Domingos, professor emeritus of computer science and engineering at the University of Washington, said the new research means “at this point, we shouldn’t get too obsessed about the AI that’s coming.”

AGI is touted as the ultimate goal of AI. In theory, this represents the creation of something as smart as or smarter than ourselves. Many investors and technologists are investing a lot of time and energy into this.

On Monday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman took the stage with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and reiterated his vision of “collaborating to build AGI.”

Still far from the goal

Achieving this goal means asking AI to perform many of the inductive tasks that the human brain can perform. This includes adapting to unfamiliar scenarios, creating analogies, processing new data, and abstract thinking. But, as the paper points out, if the technology struggles to achieve even “simple tasks,” then we’re clearly still far from the goal.

Princeton University computer science professor Arvind Narayanan said that many people have accepted the limitations of AI. However, he also says “It’s time to wake up.”

Jin Fan, a senior AI scientist at NVIDIA, questioned why the findings of this paper would surprise people because “transformers are not a panacea in the first place.”

Domingos said the study highlights how “a lot of people are very confused” about the potential of a technology that’s been touted as a path to AGI.

He added, “This is a paper that has just been published, and the interesting thing is who will be surprised and who won’t be surprised.”

While Domingos acknowledges that transformers are advanced technology, he believes many people think such deep neural networks are much more powerful than they actually are.

“The problem is that neural networks are very opaque. These big language models are trained on unimaginably large amounts of data. This leaves a lot of people very confused about what they can and can’t do,” he said. “They’re starting to always think you can do miracles.” He adds

Quotas and Limits

According to Google, AI has certain quotas and limits that apply to it. These quotas restrict how much of a particular shared Google Cloud resource your Google Cloud project can use. For example, the training dataset maximums are 30,000 documents and 100,000 pages. Also, the training dataset minimum is every label on at least 10 documents. These quotas apply to each Google Cloud Console project. They are also shared across all applications and IP addresses using that project.

Google’s acceleration in AI development comes as a cacophony of voices. This includes notable company alumnae and industry veterans who are calling for AI developers to slow down. They warn that the technology is developing faster than even its inventors anticipated. Geoffrey Hinton, one of the pioneers of AI tech who joined Google in 2013 and recently left the company, has since gone on a media blitz warning about the dangers of supersmart AI escaping human control. Pichai and other executives have increasingly begun talking about the prospect of AI tech matching or exceeding human intelligence, a concept known as artificial general intelligence, or AGI. The once-fringe term, associated with the idea that AI poses an existential risk to humanity, is central to OpenAI’s mission and has been embraced by DeepMind but avoided by Google’s top brass.

Limitations of AI Governance

There are technical limits as to what is currently feasible for complex AI systems. With enough time and expertise, it is usually possible to get an indication of how complex systems function. However, in practice, doing so will seldom be economically viable at scale. Also, tough requirements may inadvertently block the adoption of AI systems. From a governance perspective, AI poses a unique challenge both in formulating and enforcing regulations and norms. Finally, there is simply a growing sense that the time has come for a more cohesive approach to AI oversight. Given the open research culture in the AI field, there is a need for a comprehensive approach to AI governance. This is more needed due to higher functional building blocks, and the growing number of AI apps.

Final Words

AI has made significant progress in recent years, but it is not yet ready to surpass humans. There are still many limitations to AI, including quotas and limits, limitations of AI explanations, and limitations of AI governance. As AI continues to develop, it is important to keep these limitations in mind.

Nintendo jumped into the filmmaking industry with the Super Mario movie which turned out to be a tremendous hit. Following its success, now Nintendo is looking forward to bringing some of its other major titles to life starting with the evergreen franchise of Legend of Zelda. In the official announcement post, Nintendo has revealed that the movie will be directed by Wes Ball who has previously showcased his talents in movies such as The Maze Runner Trilogy and Kingdom of the Planet of Apes. The Legend of Zelda movie will be produced by its creator Shigeru Miyamoto, who also worked with Avi Arad on Super Mario Bros.

Legend of Zelda Movie: What Do We Know?

In a statement posted on Twitter, Mayamoto states “This is Miyamoto. I have been working on the live-action film of The Legend of Zelda for many years now with Avi Arad-san, who has produced many mega-hit films.” Since this movie is still in its writing stages and has not yet even got into production. It might take some time for it to hit our screens. In his statement, Mayamoto also added “It will take time until its completion, but I hope you look forward to seeing it.” As a reply I would like to say, you are damn right Mr. Mayamoto, we are looking forward to it.

There isn’t much information available on the storyline or cast of the upcoming Legend of Zelda movie but what we do know is that the production will be co-funded by Sony. However, more than fifty percent of the total cost of this movie will be covered by Nintendo only. This announcement by Nintendo can act as a serious turning point for it since it makes it obvious that Nintendo is looking forward to stepping further into the entertainment industry and I for one am really looking forward to that if they keep bringing us movies like Super Mario Bros. and Legend of Zelda. So if you are as excited as I am for the upcoming movie, stay tuned with us to receive regular updates about anything new that comes up!