Web application testing, desktop and mobile QA are more common areas for QA professionals, while game testing, security and automation are more narrowly focused. Regardless of the direction you want to take, each path has its unique requirements, although many of the skills overlap.

Today, we’re going to cover the most important tips for getting started as a QA professional, according to Master Born.

1. Know the basics that QA professionals use

Before you embark on this career adventure, it would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with what others will want from you as a QA professional.

– SQL Fundamentals – Regardless of which position you choose, you should know the SQL basics, which are a must for everyone. The ability to extract data from a structured database is essential to verify that a piece of code is secure and stable.

– Knowledge of SDLC – As someone who is just starting their career or transitioning from another, different job, you need to know the software development life cycle or SLDC. Knowing the difference between Waterfall and Agile, as well as some of the Agile methodologies, such as Scrum and Kanban, can win you your dream job during an interview.

– GIT Basics – GIT is a version control system that you can use to share code with your team. GitHub, GitLab, and BitBucket are the programs that are used in most of the industry. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the basic commands and gain insight into the software.

– Soft Skills – Non-technical skills are just as important as technical skills. Highly skilled candidates who cannot work in a team face a lot of competition from less experienced candidates who can, however, work in a team. Among the most sought-after soft skills are: communication, willingness to learn, ability to prioritize, and time management.

2. Know the responsibilities of the QA specialist

A QA specialist ensures software quality before its launch. Beyond testing for bugs, they often spend up to half their time on tasks like documentation, reporting, and process improvement. Understanding test documentation terms like test case, scenario, run, cycle, and plan is crucial. Bug reporting basics are essential too, covered in certification courses. Learning tools like BrowserStack simplifies testing across various devices.

3. Information sources

Let’s not forget that the technological world is one of the fastest growing and the knowledge we have today may not be relevant tomorrow. To build a successful career as a QA professional you need to read constantly and use different but reliable sources of information. This could be different YouTube channels where there are a number of podcasts and videos on QA topics. Other sources of information include ChatGPT and Udemy, which offers several courses for testers to increase their working knowledge, which we think is worth it. There is a lot of valuable knowledge in them that are organized very well.

With the release of Output Switcher 2.0 for Android U, enhancements include improved volume control, device categorization, and support for devices with custom protocols.

Google Cast makes it easier for users to watch their favorite short videos on Cast-enabled devices. To effectively integrate Google Cast into apps, Google has provided guidelines to improve the user experience.

One of these guidelines relates to the Google Cast icon, which should be displayed prominently on any screen with playable content. Google recommends that this location be in the top right corner. It is this visibility that helps users see the option without having to spend minutes searching.

The second guideline is related to automatic playback. Along with the standard casting feature, users can choose whether to enable or disable autoplay. When the autoplay feature is active, playback automatically advances to the next video without any action from the user, offering a seamless viewing experience. This feature responds to the growing trend for continuous, short-form streaming content.

In response to user feedback concerning the visibility of the cast icon, Google has implemented improvements. Users frequently assume that their Chromecast built-in devices are not detected when they don’t see this icon. To enhance user experience and streamline device discovery, Google has introduced the “Persistent cast icon.”

This new feature guarantees that the cast icon is consistently visible, offering users instant access and assistance in comprehending why a particular device might not be appearing. Furthermore, Google has fine-tuned the timing of device discovery. For a more in-depth understanding of these changes and their impact, refer to the details outlined in the Google Cast Developer Guide.

On December 30 last year, MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, posted a video on X to announce that his latest video was available on YouTube.

Donaldson had uploaded a 20-minute video to YouTube describing how he spent a week in solitary confinement. Similar videos in which Donaldson challenges himself or some person to an extreme task are the culprits he has gained worldwide fame.

MrBeast earned around $82 million in 2023 and has over 225 million subscribers on his main channel, making him the biggest name on the platform.

It’s no secret that Musk has been trying to get users interested in videos on the platform for quite some time now.

His attempts included a media partnership with Paris Hilton – which has since been terminated, as well as streaming shows from people like former Fox star Tucker Carlson.

Elon Musk, in collaboration with CEO Linda Iaccarino, aims to enhance revenue by introducing premium subscription services on the platform. These services, among other features, grant users the ability to display a “verified” status and send direct messages to other accounts.

These measures were implemented in response to the departure of several advertisers from the platform due to concerns about their brands being associated with unregulated content.

In an effort to include MrBeast’s content on the platform, Musk’s proposal, not limited to exclusivity, was turned down by the creator. Donaldson responded courteously to Musk, explaining that his videos require significant investment, and even if they were to garner a billion views on X, it wouldn’t cover a fraction of the production costs. However, he expressed a willingness to explore options once monetization proves to be successful.

This gracious response stands in contrast to Donaldson’s previous keen interest in Twitter. Interestingly, his bio still identifies him as the “X Super Official CEO,” a nod to earlier speculation about who would assume the day-to-day management of the platform amid Musk’s busy schedule.

“Creative teams have toiled hard all year to deliver break-through holiday campaigns and tap into consumers’ heightened intent to purchase. Sadly, the impact of their work is minimised by the last executional leg of the journey: adapting creative assets to align them to the digital media environments they’re intended for” said Anastasia Leng, founder and CEO of CreativeX.

“These small tweaks increase an ad’s Creative Quality Score and media effectiveness, and during a year of heightened budget scrutiny, it may just give marketing teams something to be joyful about”, she continued.

The analysis, which estimates more than 3.9 million ads from 2021-2022 from more than 400 brands across 10 different industries, including retail, food and beverage, and consumer packaged goods, found that brands spent more than $600 million globally on ads that are not digitally relevant during the critical time of year for marketers.

It predicts that more than $73 billion will be spent on digitally sub-optimal ads in the fourth quarter of 2023.

 

A previous study conducted by CreativeX found that in 2020 and 2021, more than 50% of digital ad spend will be invested in image and video ads that are not optimized for the digital environment ($700 million out of $1.2 million). A year later, almost as much budget was spent in the fourth quarter alone.

For many bros, the last quarter of the year represents more than 50% of their annual revenue and a disproportionate share of their annual media budget (approximately 30% of total global ad spend). This is a crucial opportunity for brands to attract consumers as purchase intent peaks during the Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas holidays.

Considerable sums are allocated to ads that lack branding in the crucial first three to five seconds—the average viewing duration of a digital video. Additionally, these ads are frequently formatted incorrectly and neglect essential features such as subtitles or supers. In an environment where over 90% of videos are watched without sound, these are basic creative quality criteria proven to enhance performance on digital platforms.

In a blog post outlining a number of updates to the AI-related rules, YouTube said creators who don’t disclose whether they used AI tools to create videos will face penalties, including having their content removed or being suspended from the platform’s revenue-sharing program.

“Generative AI has the potential to unlock creativity on YouTube and transform the experience for viewers and creators on our platform. But just as important, these opportunities must be balanced with our responsibility to protect the YouTube community”, Jennifer Flannery O’Connor and Emily Moxley, vice presidents for product management, wrote in the blog post.

Under the latest changes, which will take effect by next year, YouTube users will get new options to indicate whether they’re posting AI-generated videos that, for example, depict a realistic event that never happened or show someone saying or doing something they didn’t actually do.

O’Connor and Moxley emphasized the heightened significance of these measures, particularly when the content delves into sensitive subjects like elections, ongoing conflicts, public health crises, or involves public officials.

To enhance transparency, modified videos will carry identifiable labels, prominently displayed on the YouTube video player for topics requiring sensitivity.

The platform is also leveraging artificial intelligence to proactively identify and remove content violating its rules. According to the company, this technology has proven effective in swiftly identifying “new forms of abuse.”

For YouTube music partners such as record labels or distributors, there is now a provision to request the removal of AI-generated music content that imitates an artist’s distinct singing or rapping style.

Furthermore, YouTube is updating its privacy complaint process to accommodate requests for the removal of AI-generated videos that replicate an identifiable person, encompassing both their facial features and voice.

Deep learning is a type of machine learning based on artificial neural networks inspired by the human brain. The method is used to teach machines how to learn from large amounts of data through multi-layered structures of algorithms.

Deepfakes typically use a computer learning network called a variational autoencoder, a type of artificial neural network that is commonly used for face recognition.

 

Deepfake technology resembles the 21st century version of Photoshop,but is far more dangerous. It carries many negative implications as it continues to advance the field of artificial intelligence. Deepfake is often controlled by a group of cybercriminals who have the ability to convincingly mimic other humans. Additionally, this platform is used to create numerous manipulated videos that look very real.

In a recent incident, a group of cyber criminals created a fake video with the face of Rashmika Mandan, a South Indian actress, and the body of Zara Patel, a British-Indian girl. This video caused a wave of reactions in the Bollywood community.

When was it first discovered, and what did it do?

Deepfake technology first surfaced in 2017 on the online platform Reddit. Initially, it gained notoriety for swapping the faces of celebrities such as Gal Gadot, Scarlett Johansson, Taylor Swift, and others, primarily for creating explicit content. This face-swapping was accomplished through the use of a machine employing deep learning algorithms. One key element in this process was an AI algorithm known as an “encoder.”

What is an encoder?

An “encoder” serves as a crucial component in the deepfake process. It enables machines to discern commonalities between two faces, reducing them to their shared features by compressing the facial images.

With the aid of an encoder, erroneous images are superimposed to manipulate the source content, while another algorithm, called the “decoder,” reconstructs the face with the desired orientation and expressions.

What does Deepfake technology do to original videos and photos?

Deepfake technology adeptly alters and manipulates the voices and faces of characters within various videos, frequently with explicit content.

Deepfake usage?

Primarily, deepfake technology finds application in unsavory edits, notably within pornographic video content. However, there have been instances, especially during elections, where politicians’ video clips were digitally altered and disseminated with falsely attributed statements.

Prominently, even well-known individuals with significant public profiles have fallen victim to deepfake videos. An example includes former US President Barack Obama, who was featured in a deepfake video where he appeared to refer to Donald Trump as a derogatory term. This video garnered widespread attention.

Furthermore, even Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s chief, was depicted in various deepfake videos making claims about having “total control of billions of people’s stolen data.”

An AI firm named Deeptrace was also identified, which had cataloged 15,000 deepfake videos by September 2019.

What do experts have to say about deepfake creators?

Experts, including Danielle Citron, a professor of law at Boston University, have voiced serious concerns about the detrimental uses of deepfake technology. Citron highlighted the fact that deepfake technology has been weaponized against women, and recent incidents like the one involving actress Rashmika raise further safety concerns.

What else can deepfake do besides creating videos?

Deepfake technology extends beyond crafting AI-driven videos. It can also generate entirely fabricated images from scratch. Additionally, it has the capacity to create fictitious profiles and characters, complete with fictional names and accompanying videos.

Who is creating deepfake videos presently?

According to a report from The Guardian, a wide range of individuals, from industrial and academic researchers to amateur enthusiasts, can create deepfake videos. Visual effects studios and even porn producers also harness this technology for the manipulation and creation of content.

A new online safety bill will oblige social media companies to remove any animal cruelty content from their platforms or face a fine of up to £18 million, the BBC reports. The new changes are expected to come into force this autumn.

The reason for the drastic measures is BBC Eye’s “Monkey Haters” investigation, which uncovered a worldwide network of monkey abuse. Ministers say this is a clear example of the imperative for new changes to online safety law.

From this autumn, animal cruelty videos will be considered a “priority offence” under a new change to the bill that brings them into line with child sexual abuse and threats to kill.

Under the new proposals, social media platforms will be fined up to 10% of their global annual revenue if they do not actively tackle illegal content and remove it.

An undercover BBC reporter joins a private messaging group on Telegram, where he discovers that hundreds of people in the US and UK are ordering and paying for videos of baby monkeys being tortured and killed by humans in Indonesia.

In the US, a former member of the air force has been charged and more than 20 people are under investigation. Two men in Indonesia have been sentenced to prison and in the UK three women have been arrested and released as part of the investigation.

The social media companies did not remain unmoved. YouTube said animal abuse had “no place” on the platform and that it had removed hundreds of thousands of videos. Telegram said its moderators cannot preemptively patrol private groups. There are still active monkey abuse groups on social media.

Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan said that this kind of activity was “deeply disturbing” and that the bill would now broaden beyond its remit of protecting children to “stop the proliferation of animal abuse too”.

“The BBC’s diligent investigative work revealed a dark underbelly of our internet that pushes its sadistic criminal activity to everyday people,” she said.

David Bowles from the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)
was hopeful the amendment would be enacted.

“It’s deeply unsettling and disheartening just how widespread animal abuse videos and imagery are becoming and with young people spending so much time online, it can be incredibly challenging for parents and guardians to monitor the content they are seeing,” he said.

According to Nicola O’Brien, chief co-ordinator of the Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition (SMACC), of which the RSPCA and Action for Primates are members, the new law change “will put more emphasis on platforms to take responsibility and stop providing a literal platform for animal abusers”, adding that they are currently not doing enough to prevent content being shared on their sites.

The Online Safety Act aims to make social media companies more responsible for the safety of their users on their platforms.

Silicon Valley tech giants, however, opposed some of the proposals.

Some platforms such as WhatsApp, Signal and iMessage claim they cannot access or view anyone’s messages without destroying existing privacy protections for all users. They issued a statement saying they would rather leave the UK and deprive users there than compromise on the security of messages.

The final changes to the legislation will be considered by Parliament today. Stay tuned for details.

Today we present a list of .NET programming books whose authors are recognized experts, carefully selected by professional publishers, and highly motivated to write hundreds of pages to thoroughly cover a programming topic.

The .NET Books That Will Improve Your Skills

Murach’s ASP.NET Core MVC (2nd Edition)
This 2nd Edition of Murach’s ASP.NET Core MVC does a better job than ever of delivering the skills you need to develop websites using the MVC (Model-View-Controller) pattern with ASP.NET Core. If you know the basics of C#, you’ll quickly learn to code the way today’s top web professionals do. Each section features clear, beginner-friendly examples and easy-to-understand explanations that walk you through crucial skills, best practices, and helpful tips.

SQL Server Database Programming with Java: Concepts, Designs and Implementations
This textbook covers both fundamental and advanced Java database programming techniques for beginning and experienced students as well as programmers (courses related to database programming in Java with Apache NetBeans IDE 12 environment). A sample SQL Server 2019 Express database, CSE_DEPT, is created and implemented in all example projects throughout this textbook.

Over 40 real sample database programming projects are covered in this textbook with detailed illustrations and explanations to help students understand the key techniques and programming technologies. Chapters include homework and selected solutions to strengthen and improve students’ learning and understanding for topics they study in the classroom.

Software Architecture with C# 10 and .NET 6
Software architecture is the practice of implementing structures and systems that streamline the software development process and improve the quality of an app. This fully revised and expanded third edition, featuring the latest features of .NET 6 and C# 10, enables you to acquire the key skills, knowledge, and best practices required to become an effective software architect.

Software Architecture with C# 10 and .NET 6, Third Edition features new chapters that describe the importance of the software architect, microservices with ASP.NET Core, and analyzing the architectural aspects of the front-end in the applications, including the new approach of .NET MAUI. It also includes a new chapter focused on providing a short introduction to artificial intelligence and machine learning using ML.NET, and updated chapters on Azure Kubernetes Service, EF Core, and Blazor.

Pro ASP.NET Core 6
Professional developers will produce leaner applications for the ASP.NET Core platform using the guidance in this best-selling book, now in its 9th edition and updated for ASP.NET Core for .NET 6. It contains detailed explanations of the ASP.NET Core platform and the application frameworks it supports. This cornerstone guide puts ASP.NET Core for .NET 6 into context and dives deep into the tools and techniques required to build modern, extensible web applications. New features and capabilities such as MVC, Razor Pages, Blazor Server, and Blazor WebAssembly are covered, along with demonstrations of how they are applied.

ASP.NET Core for .NET 6 is the latest evolution of Microsoft’s ASP.NET web platform and provides a “host-agnostic” framework and a high-productivity programming model that promotes cleaner code architecture, test-driven development, and powerful extensibility.

Professional C# and .NET
Experienced programmers making the transition to C# will benefit from the author’s in-depth explorations to create Web- and Windows applications using ASP.NET Core, Blazor, and WinUI using modern application patterns and new features offered by .NET including Microservices deployed to Docker images, GRPC, localization, asynchronous streaming, and much more.

The book also offers discussions of the extension of .NET to non-Microsoft platforms like OSX and Linux Explanations of the newest features in C#9, including support for record types, and enhanced support for tuples, pattern matching, and nullable reference types Integrating .NET applications with Microsoft Azure services such as Azure App Configuration, Azure Key Vault, Azure Functions, the Azure Active Directory, and others.

These tricks are just as impressive as the popular ones, and can even help make everyday iPhone use more productive and interesting, Cnet revealed in one of its stories on the subject.

View and share saved Wi-Fi passwords

For some time, Apple has allowed iOS users to share Wi-Fi passwords, but only by placing two Apple devices near each other. If this feature didn’t work automatically, it wouldn’t be possible to just dig the password out of your settings.

To try out this feature, go to Settings, then click Wi-Fi and tap the little icon with information to the right of the network you want to get the password for. To view the network password, tap the Password tab and then use Face ID or enter your password to view it. You can then tap Copy to copy the password to your clipboard and share it.

Find and remove duplicate photos and videos
Maybe you’ve saved the same photo multiple times or downloaded a video more than once, resulting in duplicates cluttering your photo album and piling up extra space in your storage.

In the Photos > Albums menu, you should see a new Duplicates album under the Utilities tab. Apple scans all your photos and shows you any photos or videos you’ve saved more than once in that album. From there, you can either delete any duplicates or simply hit Merge, which will keep the highest quality photo (and corresponding data) and then move the rest to the trash.

While you’ll probably want to go through each set of duplicates to make sure they’re actually exact copies and not similar photos, you can also press Select > Select All > Merge to remove every single photo and video that Apple considers a duplicate at once.

End a phone or FaceTime call with Siri
Siri does many things. You can use the virtual assistant to send a text message, get directions, or play music – but one thing it’s never been able to do is end a phone call.

In Settings, go to Siri & Search and first make sure the Listen for “Hey Siri” feature is turned on. If it is, you should see a new option under it – Call Hang Up. Go into that option and toggle Call Hang Up. When having a phone call or FaceTime video chat, simply say “Hey, Siri” and ask her to end your current call.

Connect Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons to your iPhone
Apple has long allowed you to pair third-party controllers, like the PS5 Sony DualSense and Xbox Core Controller, with your iPhone and iPad to more conveniently play mobile video games like Apple Arcade Library, Minecraft, and Call of Duty. Now you can add another console controller to that list.

If you own a Nintendo Switch, you can now connect Joy-Con controllers to your iPhone or iPad with iOS 16. To get started, hold down the little black pairing button on the Joy-Con until the green lights start moving back and forth. This means the device is in pairing mode. Then open your iPhone and go to Settings > Bluetooth and select Joy-Con from the list. Repeat this step with the other Joy-Con.

Hidden and recently deleted albums are now password protected
The hidden album in the Photos app is obviously not hidden, as anyone can easily find it.

Thanks to iOS 16, you can now lock the hidden album. In fact, you don’t need to do anything to turn this feature on. If you want to check it, launch the Photos app and go to the Albums tab at the bottom of the screen. If you scroll down, you’ll see a little lock next to the Hidden and Recently Deleted albums. To view the contents of these albums, you’ll need to use Face ID or your password.

Copy and paste edits to photos and videos
If you use the editing tool in the Photos app, you’ll be happy to learn that you can now copy and paste edits, including saturation, contrast, and brightness between photos.

To do this, launch the “Photos” app and open a photo that has been edited, full screen. Then tap the three-dot menu in the top right corner and press Copy Edits. This option will only appear if the photo has been edited in the Photos app and not in a third-party photo editor. Finally, go to the photo you want to copy those edits to, tap the three-dot menu, and then press Paste Edits. After about a second, you should see the edits appear on the photo.

Bring haptic feedback to your keyboard
iPhone has long featured haptic feedback. It’s that slight vibration you feel under your fingertips when you’re trying to delete an app from the home screen or enter the wrong password on the lock screen.

If you want to activate a slight vibration for each key you type, go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Keyboard Feedback and switch to Haptic. The sound option you see is the loud and annoying sound you might hear when you’re typing something and your phone isn’t in silent mode, so you can leave it off.

Pin your favorite tabs in Safari
Safari limits the number of open tabs to 500, and if you’re nearing that limit, it can be quite difficult to find the exact tab you’re looking for.

In Safari, if you press down on an open tab, you now have the option to press the “Pin Tab” button. This will move that tab to the top of Safari, where it will exist as a little preview tab permanently pinned there that you can tap to view at any time.

Use Face ID while lying down
If you’ve ever tried to unlock your iPhone while it’s in a vertical position, like when you’re lying on your side, you may have noticed that it doesn’t work. You need to place your iPhone in an upright position for Face ID to work. With iOS 16, you can finally use Face ID to unlock your iPhone when it’s in a horizontal position.

Copy screenshots to the clipboard without saving them
You don’t need to save a screenshot to your photo album to share it with someone else. A new feature in iOS 16 lets you take a screenshot, copy it to your clipboard, delete it from your phone, and paste it wherever you see fit. After taking a screenshot, tap the screenshot preview that appears, tap Done in the top right corner, and then tap Copy and Delete to copy the screenshot to your clipboard.

Remove more pre-installed Apple apps
Since iOS 10, you can remove some pre-installed iOS apps, such as Stocks, Maps, and Calculator-but not all. With the release of iOS 16, you can add three more apps to that list: Find My, Clock, and Health. However, deleting these apps can backfire and break support with other apps and connected devices, like your Apple Watch.

Status is a popular way to share ephemeral updates with friends and close contacts on WhatsApp. They disappear after 24 hours and can include photos, videos, GIFs, text and more. Like your private chats and calls, your WhatsApp status is protected with end-to-end encryption so you can share privately and securely.

Choose a private audience
Every status a user shares may not always be appropriate for all the contacts on their list. The company provides the flexibility to update the privacy settings of each status so that you can choose who sees the status each time it is updated. The most recent audience selection will be saved and used by default for the next status.

Status reactions
Added status reactions to provide a quick and easy way to respond to status updates from everyone in close contacts. This was the number 1 feature users wanted after Reactions launched last year. Now one can quickly reply to any status by swiping up and tapping one of the eight emoji. Of course, you can still reply to a status with a text, voice message, stickers and more.

Status profile rings for new updates
With the new status profile ring, you’ll never miss a status from a loved one. This ring will be present around each contact’s profile picture when they share a status update. It will be visible in chat lists, group participant lists, and contact information.

Views of connections in status
Now when a link is posted to your status, you will automatically see a visual preview of the link’s content, just like when you send a message. The previews make statuses look better, and also give contacts a better idea of what the link is before they click.

These updates have started rolling out to users globally and will be available to everyone in the coming weeks.

In addition to this, WhatsApp is upgrading statuses by allowing status reactions, just as the company launched message reactions last year.