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The Farmer’s Almanac estimates that Oct. 5-21 will be peak fall foliage season across Pennsylvania. Not exactly sure how they figure that out so far in advance (and it is literally the same as last year’s date range). Here’s some spots to check out for peak fall leaf viewing this year. Pine Creek flows through the “Grand Canyon” of Pennsylvania in Leonard Harrison State Park. Photo: Getty Images. Pine Creek Gorge  ~3 hours east of Pittsburgh If you can’t get to the Grand Canyon, might as well go to “ the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania .” Both the Leonard Harrison and the Colton Point state parks offer scenic overlooks — the former is more family-friendly with a playground and picnic areas, while the latter offers a 4-mile steep descent into the floor of the canyon. Choose your own adventure. Fall colors at Mount Davis. Photo credit: Getty Images. Mount Davis  ~2 hours southeast of Pittsburgh Mount Davis is the highest point in Pennsylvania. It’s well known with hig...

Web3 can bring new life into today’s social networks. And, they need the help, with falling revenues and increasing disinterest from users. Ten years ago, media company Coub launched the world’s first short video-sharing social network, giving its users the ability to create and share short videos called ‘coubs.’ The novelty proved to be in great demand: in two years since launch, the number of the platform’s users exceeded 45 million. The new social media format led to the emergence of such projects as Musical.ly in 2015 and Periscope in 2018. Coub, Web3 and why it works Although the competitors had significantly more financial resources, Coub was able to retain more than 106 million users and reach over 650 million monthly views. Now, the company aims to compete for millions of creators through the introduction of NFTs and Web-3 monetization. The new trend may be decisive in today’s battle between social media giants and save them from falling revenues. Sponsored Sponsor...

Editor’s Note: With so much market volatility, stay on top of daily news! Get caught up in minutes with our speedy summary of today’s must-read news and expert opinions. Sign up here! (Kitco News) – The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a new alert highlighting the dangers of decentralized finance (DeFi), which the agency says has become a favorite target of cybercriminals.  “Cyber criminals seek to take advantage of investors’ increased interest in cryptocurrencies, as well as the complexity of cross-chain functionality and open source nature of DeFi platforms,” the agency said.  According to the Public Service Announcement (PSA) released by the FBI on Tuesday, DeFi platforms were the primary source of stolen funds in the first quarter and continue to experience regular exploits.  “Between January and March 2022, cyber criminals stole $1.3 billion in cryptocurrencies, almost 97 percent of which was stolen from DeFi platforms, according to t...

There are a number of worthwhile alternatives to YouTube you can investigate. Vimeo is an excellent option for musicians and filmmakers, while Twitch is good for livestreaming games.  Here are five of the best YouTube alternatives you can try as a user or content creator. There’s a good chance you’re among the 2.5 billion users who are active monthly on YouTube, whether you’re creating or just consuming content. If you’re looking for other options as a user who wants to get away from Google’s privacy policy or as a creator who would like to stand out amongst a smaller crowd, however, there are some excellent YouTube alternatives. Here are five of the best options you can choose from today. Vimeo Vimeo is like a grown-up version of YouTube; it hosts a huge amount of ad-free content, but most of what you’ll find here are short films, musical performances and music videos, marketing videos, and other highly produced digital films. The platform supports 4K video and the web pla...

By Jeanne Bellew ‘We were stuck. Stuck in jobs sucking every bit of soul we had left in us, stuck in the paradigm that had us paying for a house and all the “keeping up with the Joneses” trappings.’ My husband James and I worked for 30-plus years and believed the unspoken promise made to us when we were young. It went something like this, “If I educate myself, get a job, raise a family, work hard for 35-40 years, sacrifice essential times with family and friends, save money, and then retire at 65-70 years old, I can collect Social Security and grow old with enough money to live out the rest of my life in peace…” We determined about three years ago that this promise wouldn’t be kept. We were in our late 50s at the time and decided that we had to do something to live the rest of our lives peacefully the way we wanted. And on top of the financial concerns we had, which revolved around healthcare and growing old in the U.S. without depleting everything we saved, we were also looking fo...

“Y ou bought what?” asks a friend. “A small-town weekly newspaper,” comes my reply, followed by “it’s obviously not about making money.” “Why then?” comes the follow-up. “Because democracy is important, and community is important, and a local paper is an important part of all that.” “So, how’s that going?” is the final question.   Ever since we got together to “save” the local paper a few years ago, every member of Coastside News Group has experienced this same back-and-forth. Most questioners’ eyes glaze over at the response to the final question, something like, “It’s moving in the right direction, but it’s a challenging project.” The good news is that we continue to win statewide awards, including first place for “General Excellence” and a passel of awards for news, editorials, cartoons and humor. We’ve stopped the pattern of cutbacks followed by downsizing followed by more cutbacks, a pattern that is all too familiar across the country as other local papers shut down left an...

The “Oracle of Omaha” turns 92 on Tuesday. Investing legend and Berkshire Hathaway BRK.B, -0.71% CEO Warren Buffett is considered one of the most successful investors of all time. And it’s made him one of the richest people in the world with a net worth of $99.3 billion, according to Forbes . So many Twitter TWTR, -1.80% users have been marking Buffet’s birthday by sharing some of their favorite Buffett-isms that he has said over the years. MarketWatch Picks: Warren Buffett says this is the ‘biggest mistake’ people make with their money (and psst: it has to do with savings) One clip making the rounds comes from a 1985 interview, when Buffett was asked about the most important quality that an investor can have. “It’s the temperamental quality, not an intellectual quality. You don’t need tons of IQ in this business … you do not have to be able to play three-dimensional chess,” he said. “You need a stable personality. You need a temperament that neither derives great pleasure fr...

California lawmakers have passed a bill that seeks to make apps and other online spaces safer for kids in the absence of robust federal standards. The bill, if signed into law, would impose a set of new protections for people under the age of 18 in California, potentially punishing tech companies with thousands in fines for every child affected by any violation. The bill, the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act , still needs to be signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom before becoming law. If signed, its provisions would go into effect on July 1, 2024, giving platforms an interval of time to come into compliance. The new privacy rules would apply to social apps like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube — frequent targets of criticism for their mishandling of young users’ safety and mental health — but also to other businesses that offer “an online service, product, or feature likely to be accessed by children.” That broader definition would also extend the bill’s requirements t...

Mobile devices are arguably the most used gadget by humans. Almost every adult in most parts of the world uses a smartphone for one thing or the other. For listening to songs, reading news online, keeping in touch with loved ones, using social media applications and platforms. Some persons even use their smartphones for money-making. Many platforms can allow you to make money entirely online just with your phone. You cannot afford to have your phone without a battery in this era. You can miss out on important deals and even lose millions of dollars just by not charging your phone. In some countries without a constant power supply, having an alternative source of power for your phone is very important. Both adults and younger ones need smartphones for business and academic activities. Some schools run remotes entirely, so stream their lectures online; imagine your child missing out on a crucial lesson or exam because of no power. There are so many alternatives to augment your power su...

Money / Side Gigs Marco VDM / iStock.com Just about everyone has access to a phone, and it can be a valuable resource for money-making opportunities . Whether you want to make better use of your spare time or you’d like to build up to a full-time income , your phone can be a good starting point for making money. Here are 15 ways to make money on your phone. How To Make Money on Your Phone When you’re trying to earn money on your phone, you generally have the option to use apps that reward you with cash or points, use your phone to sell items or services or use your phone to complete more traditional jobs, like customer service. Bonus Offer: Open a new Citi Priority Account by 1/9/23 and earn up to a $2,000 cash bonus after completing required activities. Some ways to make money on your phone include: Playing games Watching videos Selling your data Selling clothes and other items Completing surveys Completing user tests Taking pictures and videos Earning rewards...