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Microsoft Teams: How to disable participant cameras to reduce bandwidth?
If the covid health crisis had an upside, it’s that it democratized remote work at record speed. For nomads like us, this is great news. While working 100% remotely might have made some prospects hesitate before, that’s no longer the case at all! Everyone is now used to using Zoom, Teams, or other Google Meet. The problem with video conferencing is that it consumes a lot of bandwidth (and it increases with the number of participants). A 30-minute video call with 4 people uses up 900 MB! When I have a wifi connection that’s too weak for a good quality call, I sometimes use my phone’s 4G. During a recent…
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My Current Favorites [February 2022]: Graphic Novels, Comics
For Valentine’s Day, let’s talk about some books on love and sex. The Incredible Story of Sex It’s a graphic novel about the history of sex, from the beginning to today. The Incredible Story of Sex has 2 volumes: The first on the West The second on Africa, Asia, and the Middle East The drawings are cute without being too explicit or vulgar. It covers sex, of course, but also taboo, religion, patriarchy, women’s rights, and more. For example, throughout the history of sex in the West, you can see how certain things that were totally accepted before become taboo over time because of an unfounded belief—or because SO-AND-SO said…
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[Test & Review] Morphée Box: Sound Issues & Won’t Turn On After 1.5 Months
Have you ever heard of the Morphée Box machine? It’s a machine that helps you sleep, and sleep well. I’ve always been a sleepyhead, able to fall asleep anywhere: on a crowded bus, on a plane, on a boat… but because of my health issues, the quality of my sleep has decreased : I have nightmares, or I grind my teeth until I wake up with a terrible headache. Despite many hours of sleep, I feel like I haven’t slept at all and my well-being is plummeting. I thought about playing texts and sounds from the Calm app… but having a speaker or a phone right above my head, even…
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Money, education, superstition… the underside of Asia
Plagued by wars, colonization, poverty, and double-digit annual inflation, Asia and Asians in general have a rather specific way of managing and making money. This article will reveal some truths that are little known to Europeans, but known to all Asians. Money During your various trips to Asia, you’ve surely noticed a difference between displayed prices and the country’s average salary. Fortunately, we don’t live solely on our salary! Foreigners have no idea of the wealth that can be tucked away in every closet. One of Vietnam’s most publicized billionaires is known for having, when he was little, burned $100 bills without batting an eye for fun. His nickname is…
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I went back to studying law with Agorassas: My Review
Context : I’m writing this article right after taking my first law exams with Agorassas; my opinion may evolve in the coming months, and I’ll try to keep this article updated. Agorassas: what is it? Agorassas is the “digital campus” of Paris II Panthéon-Assas University. It allows you to pursue a law degree remotely. You can progress through the program without any geographical or scheduling constraints. You can study from anywhere, at any time. The curriculum and diploma are exactly the same as the on-campus program. Why did I dive into this? Here’s my personal background: I have a background in IT, I’m in my mid-30s, I’m self-employed, and I…
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My Hermès Collection: Carres, Gavroche, Small Leather Goods, Books, Cosmetics
I’m not very sensitive to brands, especially luxury ones, because I feel they look fake on me as an Asian person, so I’m very surprised to now have a Hermès collection. It’s a series of events that sparked my curiosity about this luxury brand, which has managed to maintain its image and reputation, and is the one that fights the most against counterfeits. Since then, I’ve been a huge Hermès fan. I bought these two books about Hermès carrés (Amazon link) & Hermès bags (Amazon link), to learn more about the brand. In the book “Carrés d’art IV” (Amazon link), we get the complete list of all Hermès carrés, along…
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My Current Favorites [January 2022]: Suitcase, Leather Goods, Hermès, Clothing, Cosmetics
After 6 months in Thailand where I had to take a speedboat to get to the only shopping mall on the island across to go shopping, I took advantage of a month in France to stock up on my favorite products, and change up my style a bit since I’m hiking less and less, I’m aiming for a more urban look. Warning, there are tons of purchases, and I paid for everything with my own money. If you’re a minimalist, look away. Samsonite Quadrix Spinner Suitcase Let’s start with my new suitcase. Before, I had a cabin suitcase, also from Samsonite. I love it, it’s super sturdy and has been…
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My Review of Action Visas
As a French citizen, we are incredibly lucky to hold an exceptional passport that grants entry to many countries without needing to apply for a visa in advance. In over 5 years of constant travel, we’ve only had to apply for visas a handful of times (India , and Myanmar for instance). Each time, we handled the online procedures ourselves. As the spouse of a Vietnamese citizen, I’m eligible to apply for a 5-year visa exemption. To get it, you must visit the Vietnamese embassy in Paris in person. Since we’re pressed for time and Anh knows how tricky these procedures can be, we weren’t thrilled about doing it ourselves.…
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[Test & Review] Apple AirTags for my Cat, my Bag & my Suitcases
Everyone has heard of Apple AirTags. But many people think they’re only useful for finding keys or small objects – I did too – so for a long time, I wondered what they could really be used for. I bought them with my own money. This article is not NOT sponsored ! Until one day I asked a real user and he told me that the range of AirTags is impressive: someone sent a package from Europe to the United States and put an AirTag inside; they could track the AirTag in real time another person left their AirTag inside their suitcase and was able to pinpoint its location when…
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My Facial Skincare Routine & Adult Acne FAQ
As my article on acne is already long enough, I suggest you continue reading the FAQ here: Why not incorporate Vitamin C into the routine when you still have breakouts? Vitamin C can worsen acne, causing even more inflammation. Vitamin C should be used on healthy skin. Once your skin has cleared up, if the skin barrier is seriously damaged, you even need to use B5, copper peptides, or ceramides repairing the skin barrier before touching Vitamin C. Why not use exfoliation when you still have breakouts ? Many blogs keep telling us that we should exfoliate the skin and “bring” pimples to the surface so they go away faster.…
