Most geeks are creatures of habit. This explains why we've worn the same brand of trainers since we were 11, why we still watch those Ugly Betty DVDs in secret even though our wives already caught us that one time, and why so many of us still thumb entire URLs into our mobile devices even though we know several shortcuts have been out there for quite some time (as fun as awkwardfamilyphotos.com is once you get there, you really need to clear your afternoon calendar if you insist on surfing to it the hard way each time).
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The app
Fortunately, there's a solution to the backslash-underscore-brackets keyboard quagmire that our mobile-phone browsers mire us in - an improved browser altogether.
Dolphin Browser (free, iPhone, Android) not only offers many of the comforts of computer-based browsing (tabs, bookmarks, sidebars, etc), but it also allows you to navigate to your favourite websites by simply drawing a symbol associated with it on your screen.
The details
The Dolphin Browser comes preloaded with several gestures it can recognise - draw a backward "C" to refresh a page, a greater than (>) or less than (
Using the app’s gesture engine is a two-step process: tap the hand icon on the bottom of the browser screen and then draw your command in the space provided. The browser then automatically loads the bookmarked URL or performs the action that is associated with the symbol.
To pre-programme your favourite URLs or browser functions, just tap on the “New Gesture” tab on the top right and a menu comes up allowing you to personalise the system. Key in the Web address for each of your favourite sites (hopefully for the last time) and then draw a related gesture that the browser will from then on recognise and act upon accordingly.
Unfortunately, many of the most obvious gestures are already taken, but the app allows you to substitute any preloaded circle or zigzag duty assignment with one of your own.
Through Dolphin Browser, not only can you surf to all your usual spots (Facebook, Twitter, etc) without a keyboard, you barely even need to focus your eyes on your smartphone’s screen until there’s something there you want to see.
Dolphin Browser serves up almost everything we lazy geeks could ever want and, quibbles aside, it’s hard to complain.
Yes, I suppose we still need to lift a finger – but just barely.
cbrandao@thenational.ae
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
If you go
The flights
The closest international airport for those travelling from the UAE is Denver, Colorado. British Airways (www.ba.com) flies from the UAE via London from Dh3,700 return, including taxes. From there, transfers can be arranged to the ranch or it’s a seven-hour drive. Alternatively, take an internal flight to the counties of Cody, Casper, or Billings
The stay
Red Reflet offers a series of packages, with prices varying depending on season. All meals and activities are included, with prices starting from US$2,218 (Dh7,150) per person for a minimum stay of three nights, including taxes. For more information, visit red-reflet-ranch.net.
Mental%20health%20support%20in%20the%20UAE
%3Cp%3E%E2%97%8F%20Estijaba%20helpline%3A%208001717%3Cbr%3E%E2%97%8F%20UAE%20Ministry%20of%20Health%20and%20Prevention%20hotline%3A%20045192519%3Cbr%3E%E2%97%8F%20UAE%20Mental%20health%20support%20line%3A%20800%204673%20(Hope)%3Cbr%3EMore%20information%20at%20hope.hw.gov.ae%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Crawley Town 3 (Tsaroulla 50', Nadesan 53', Tunnicliffe 70')
Leeds United 0
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
