A perfect season by Platte County football is accompanied by a Class 5 State title after the Pirates took down Helias Catholic 49-14 on Saturday. Met with little resistance all season long, Platte County left Helias with zero hope of capturing a state championship by jumping out to a 35-0 lead before the Crusaders could muster any momentum. Junior dual-threat quarterback Rocco Marriott, considered to be one of the best quarterback prospects in the state of Missouri, accounted for two of the game's first three touchdowns and finishing his junior season with a superb championship performance in Columbia, Missouri. Marriott, considered a three-star prospect according to 247Sports, finished with 55 yards and two touchdowns rushing, as well as 279 yards and two touchdowns through the air in the win over Helias. The last two trips to a state championship game in 2019 and 2020 didn't end the way Platte County had hoped, as both seasons ended in a runner-up finish. This year, the Pirates are able to capture the coveted first place trophy in blowout fashion.First Horizon Names New Head of Investor Relations
A group of researchers have found a way to develop FNCAS9 Editor Linked Uniform Detection Assay (FELUDA), a test developed during the Covid-19 period to diagnose Covid cases, as a point-of-care diagnostic service at a minimal cost for detection of H. pylori and its mutations in dyspeptic patients from rural areas of India, with minimal or no access to diagnostic laboratories. Infections with H. pylori affect over 43 per cent of the world’s population with a wide range of gastrointestinal disorders, including peptic ulcers, gastritis, dyspepsia and even gastric cancer, according to ministry of science and technology. Resistance to clarithromycin, primarily attributed to point mutations in the 23S ribosomal RNA coding gene of H. pylori poses a global threat to public health, by necessitating repeated diagnostic tests and use of multiple courses of different antibiotic combinations for eradication of the same. Integration of novel diagnostic strategies as cost-effective diagnostic tools to detect the presence of H. pylori in human samples, as well as the identification of the antibiotic susceptibility is crucial for its rapid eradication. CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)-based methodologies are known to enable site recognition and cleavage of the target DNA with exceptional accuracy by designing guide RNAs targeting the respective mutation site in various kinds of DNA samples. Hence, in-depth understanding of H. pylori genetic makeup by CRISPR-based diagnostics (CRISPRDx) could aid in molecular dissection of its pathogenicity and development of targeted therapeutics against different strains. Towards this goal, Dr. Debojyoti Chakraborty and Dr. Souvik Maiti’s group at CSIR-IGIB had previously demonstrated the possibility of detecting H. pylori antibiotic resistance mutations using Cas9-based mutation detection strategies. However, CRISPR-Cas9 based biosensing techniques face limitations due to the requirement of NGG PAM sequences at the recognition site while detecting mutations. To encounter this limitation of CRISPR-Cas9 based detection tools in this study, Dr Shraddha Chakraborty (currently a Department of Science and Technology INSPIRE Faculty Fellow at DBEB, IIT Delhi) and colleagues at CSIR-IGIB explored the potential of en31-FnCas9 to successfully detect the presence and identify the 23S rDNA mutation status of H. pylori in gastric biopsy samples from dyspeptic patients, both by in vitro cleavage studies and lateral flow-based test strip assays (FELUDA). Clinical arm of the study was led by Dr Govind K Makharia (Department of Gastroenterology, AIIMS New Delhi), Dr Manas K Panigrahi (Department of Gastroenterology, AIIMS Bhubaneswar) and Dr Vinay K Hallur (Department of Microbiology, AIIMS Bhubaneswar). They used an engineered Cas9 protein having resemblance to Cas9 orthologs isolated from Francisella novicida (en31-FnCas9) but with altered PAM binding affinity. In their paper published in the Microchemical Journal they reported the potential of this en31-FnCas9 to successfully detect the presence and identify the 23S rDNA mutation status of H. pylori in gastric biopsy samples from dyspeptic patients of Indian origin. The study highlights the significance of sequencing-free molecular diagnosis in detecting H. pylori and its antibiotic resistance mutations, thereby emphasizing the need for tailored treatment plans to address global public health concerns associated with antibiotic resistance and gastric cancer risks. The integration of en31-FnCas9-based detection with lateral flow assay (FELUDA) demonstrated rapid visual readout of H. pylori infection and its mutation status in patient samples, enhancing its diagnostic potential in clinical settings. This is the first report of en31-FnCas9 mediated molecular diagnosis of H. pylori mutations implicated in clarithromycin resistance. Successful deployment this methodology in a clinical setup can be helpful in providing accurate and timely reports on the antibiotic resistance pattern of the H. pylori strains isolated from patients, in remote settings allowing for effective management of this global public health concern.Trump’s wish to control Greenland and the Panama Canal isn’t a jokeTORONTO — A year ago Monday, the Toronto Raptors traded OG Anunoby, the unofficial start to the team’s rebuild. While the Pascal Siakam deal that came a few weeks later more clearly showed the path the Raptors would take, it was the first decision the Raptors made for themselves that took them further away from valuing wins above all else. Advertisement Fred VanVleet’s departure in free agency the previous summer was the first indication the Raptors would do this, but the Anunoby deal represented acceptance. The Raptors had a hybrid plan — not quite shameless tanking, certainly not putting a premium on short-term winning. Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett, acquired in the Anunoby deal, would surround Scottie Barnes with like-aged players, and the return for Siakam would start the Raptors’ effort to build a group of supporting players on rookie deals behind that trio and Jakob Poeltl in an attempt to not wallow in losing for years and years. The Anunoby trade happened at the end of 2023. Their 136-107 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday was the last home game of 2024. It was a turnover-filled offensive embarrassment two days removed from a profound defensive embarrassment . The calendar year ends with a matinee affair in Boston on New Year’s Eve. The halcyon days of November, when the Raptors were piling up moral victories, are long gone. “Right now, as a team, we hit a wall,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said. “We hit a wall. It’s very simple.” “We just can’t allow ourselves to get down to this point and keep letting teams, every single game, (score) 130 points ... or more,” Barnes said. “For these last three games, that’s just unacceptable.” Actually, they have surrendered 430 points, or more than 143 points per night, over the last three games. Who’s counting? Including the last few games, this year was the one in which the Raptors finally took the medicine they didn’t pick up from the pharmacy until the moment they had no other real choice. With the year coming to an end, there was some light irony to be found in Bruce Brown making his season debut against the Hawks. The Siakam trade was never about Brown himself; the Raptors hoped, and continue to hope, that they might be able to get something for the veteran in a trade. Brown’s salary was the vehicle that made the deal CBA compliant. The Raptors thought that while he was in Toronto, Brown could be a connective piece to help the Raptors advance on the court. Advertisement Due to an off-and-on knee injury that ultimately required surgery in the offseason, Brown played just 35 games for the Raptors in 2024, all but one happening last season. In his absence — and the long-term absences, at various times, of Barnes, Quickley, Barrett, Poeltl, Kelly Olynyk and others — the Raptors have had to throw out some lineups that strain credulity as legitimate NBA lineups. It’s possible the Raptors have unearthed some gems, with Ja’Kobe Walter and Ochai Agbaji, acquired either via the Siakam deal or in a subsequent deal, looking especially promising. Even still, it is hard to know what any individual performance has meant. “You’re always looking for continuity for your team and to have your guys available and healthy,” Rajaković said. “Only when you have that (do) you have the opportunity to see that and assess. If a backup player is in a starting role, that changes his role completely. He’s going against (a different) kind of talent. He’s playing different minutes. He’s playing a different role on the team.” They have not gotten that. Instead they have absorbed many, many losses. The Hawks loss gave the Raptors their second losing streak of 10 or more games of the year. With the defeat, the Raptors are 20-61 in 2024. Five teams, including the Raptors themselves, are on pace to finish with a worse record than that this season, while only two finished below that win total last season. By design or not, they have been one of the worst teams in the league, full stop. There are many hopes for 2025, but all of that losing leading to a high draft pick in June is near the top of the list. Forgetting any trades, the most important thing that happened to the Raptors in 2024 was some lottery balls not bouncing their way . Had they stayed at sixth or moved up in the lottery last spring, they would have kept their pick in June’s draft. They still would have owed one, potentially this year’s, to the San Antonio Spurs to complete the ill-conceived Poeltl trade . Instead, they lost their pick, with the eighth selection bound for Texas. Advertisement That medicine came with a vile aftertaste, too, but was necessary. Imagine a 2024-25 season that unfolded more or less like this one but without a guaranteed draft pick coming in June. Yes, the Raptors would have a player such as Portland’s Donovan Clingan or Minnesota’s Rob Dillingham, Memphis’s Zach Edey or Utah’s Cody Williams, and any of their rookie years would be interesting to monitor in Toronto right now. If healthy, they obviously would have had access to many, many NBA minutes. But that draft seemed short on superstar upside at the time, and nothing that has happened in the first 11 weeks of the season has made that look wrong. The 2025 draft has that sort of potential, which is exactly what the Raptors need — a player who can hit a high level quickly and help the team’s young core take a step forward with a financially sustainable payroll. That is the hope that will sustain the Raptors and their fans through the first half of 2025 and, perhaps, beyond. For now, all the Raptors can do is hope that this medicine will eventually cures what ails them. Notes • Brown checked in midway through the first quarter, and played in a bench-heavy lineup led by Barnes. He looked like a player feeling his way through his first game in a long time, but got to test out that knee and get his teammates excited at the same time. He got better as his outing went on, finishing with 12 points and three rebounds in 19 minutes. THAT'S OUR COWBOY 🤠 pic.twitter.com/fm5k77X7gg — Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 29, 2024 “I felt like myself. That was just the best part,” Brown said. “(I was) playing on one leg last year. I can move. Y’all seen me out there hustling, trying to give my all. It wasn’t like that last year.” Brown said he was expecting to be back a few weeks ago, but the post-surgery swelling did not dissipate fully. Putting another credible creator in bench groups should allow Barnes to act as a screener more often, while not putting the ball in the hands of the Raptors’ non-shooters at guard, Shead or Davion Mitchell, too often. • The Raptors turned the ball over on each of their first five possessions, and six of their first seven. A few of them were home run passes that would have led to easy layups, but still. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that sort of turnover spree to start a game. Advertisement The Raptors finished with 31 turnovers, one shy of a franchise record, with Barnes having a career-worst eight on his own. A few of them were ugly and/ or careless . “We’ve got to take it much more seriously than this,” Rajaković said. “This has been an ongoing thing with our turnovers this year. We’ve got to do a much better job of addressing it. I’ve gotta do a better job of keeping guys accountable to the standard. • Barnes’ jumper looks iffy from many spots on the floor, but his turnaround jumper from the outer paint has been silky of late. • This was probably the first Canadian-to-Canadian buzzer-beater in Raptors history. BONNNJOOOUUUUUURRRRR 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/0p0tlprCft — Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 30, 2024 • Walter has some good basketball sense for a rookie who played just one year in college. The Hawks aren’t the mid-2000’s Detroit Pistons, but he recognized a zone quickly and found Olynyk for a gimme . (Photo: Frank Gunn / The Canadian Press via AP)
The avant-garde fashion brand AVAVAV, in collaboration with sportswear giant Adidas, has faced a wave of criticism following the launch of its latest collection, which features Adidas’ iconic Superstar sneakers with a distinctive twist. Co-marketing, as defined by HubSpot, is a strategy undertaken by two companies where they collaborate on promotional efforts to drive a co-branded offering. Business2Community highlights that such partnerships occur between organizations with similar audiences, focusing particularly on developing collaborative marketing content and strategies. The $250 sneakers, which debuted at Milan Fashion Week as part of AVAVAV’s 2025 collection, feature detachable rubber toe caps called “Superfingers,” mimicking the decidedly uncool barefoot running shoes. The “added appendage,” according to Adidas, is a nod to AVAVAV’s “four-finger motif,” visible in the brand’s logo and referenced in their gloves, hats, and boots—similar to Maison Margiela’s Tabi shoes. The unusual release has divided fans, with some praising the look as “cool,” while others criticized the brands on social media for the extravagant design, calling it “cursed,” “ugly,” and “alien-like.” “What’s wrong with making normal stuff?” a disgruntled follower commented on an Adidas Instagram post. “If you call this fashion, you need therapy,” another mocked. “Wow, Adidas is trash now,” wrote another person. “I remember when you guys made cool things.” However, AVAVAV’s creative director, Beate Karlsson, described the collaboration as a “lifelong dream,” though she doesn’t take it too seriously. “From the start of our partnership, I was encouraged to ‘make fun’ of Adidas,” she told Hypebae. “There’s so much irony in how seriously we take sports and fashion; exploring that while maintaining a serious attitude has been incredibly fun.” Despite the controversy, the market seems to have spoken: some sizes are already sold out online. AVAVAV is known for its experimental approach to street style and its theatrical presentations. In previous shows, audiences were encouraged to throw trash at models. Notably, in recent years, their runway shows have featured deliberate falls by models or performances involving them running down the catwalk. Cancela en cualquier momento Acceso exclusivo a rankings y radiografías. Análisis profundos y casos de estudio de éxito. Historial de la revista impresa en formato digital. ¡Disfruta de lo mejor del marketing sin costo alguno por unmes!519 FUTA students bag First Class
Year 2024 has been a year of some of the most gala celebrity weddings, the cutest celeb baby announcements and some of the most heart-breaking divorces too. Many celebs chose to head for splitsville this year and it left us reeling with a sulking heart. Let's take a look at the most shocking celebrity divorces of 2024 Natasa Stankovic – Hardik Pandya: Natasa Stankovic's absence during the IPL and then the World Cup had set tongues wagging. At a time when Hardik was probably at his lowest, the model was nowhere in sight. And it was right after WC 2024 that the power couple of the sports industry shocked the nation by announcing their decision to part ways. A post shared by Hardik Pandya (@hardikpandya93) Social media was left divided between whom to support between Natasa and Hardik. The duo remains cordial and continue to co-parent their son. Esha Deol - Bharat Takhtani: Hema Malini and Dharmendra's daughter, Esha Deol, left the whole nation shocked with her divorce announcement from husband, Bharat Takhtani. The two had been going rock solid for a decade and the sudden announcement left their fans heartbroken. Urmila Matondkar – Mohsin Mir: Another celebrity wedding that went kaput was that of Urmila Matondkar and husband, Mohsin Mir. Religious and fundamental differences were said to be the reason behind their separation. Sania Mirza – Shoaib Malik: Rumours of Shoaib and Sania having called it quits had been going on for a while. But, it was the wedding pictures of the cricketer with Sana Javed, that made Sania break her silence. Isha Koppikar – Timmy Narang: Isha and Timmy had been married for almost two decades before calling it quits. In an interview, the Qayamat actress had said that the way Timmy announced and handled the divorce was irresponsible. Anant – Radhika, Sonakshi – Zaheer to Chaitanya – Sobhita, Keerthy - Anthony: 10 Most talked about weddings of 2024 [PICS] Anushka–Virat, Ranveer–Deepika, Richa–Ali, Varun–Natasha: Celebs who welcomed babies in 2024 [PICS] Kapoor's Christmas lunch: Raha Kapoor steals show; Ranbir, Alia arrive in style; Kareena, Saif skipped [PICS]If you get your phone wet, your first thought is probably to put it in rice. But please don't. You shouldn't use rice to dry out a wet smartphone , period. Experts have been saying for years that the rice method actually works slower than simply setting the phone on a counter. It can even make the situation worse by leaving goopy, wet grains stuck in your phone's crevices. Yet this myth is so pervasive that Apple explicitly told people to stop doing it as late as 2024. People keep doing it despite all the warnings against it. Case in point, smartphone myths don't take much to get started and become almost impossible to debunk once they do. And trust us, the rice myth is only one in a very, very long list. Some myths are more or less harmless. Others could put your entire digital life in peril. Here are 12 smartphone myths that we all need to stop believing yesterday. For many people, it's become a sort of end-of-the-day ritual to open the app switcher and close all the background apps they've used during the day. The logic comes from computers — open background programs consume resources, so closing them frees those resources. Except, smartphones work differently. This one has been known to be wrong for a long time. Back in 2016, an Apple executive confirmed there was no reason to do it. Apple's support page on closing an app corroborates this, recommending it only if an app is unresponsive. The same goes for Android. In fact, experts say closing background apps probably makes things worse. Smartphones are extremely efficient with their limited horsepower, automatically freeing up system resources by suspending apps as necessary. To actually limit which apps are running in the background and eating up resources, go to General > Background App Refresh on your iPhone and toggle off any offending apps. On Android, go to Battery > Battery Saver and enable Adaptive Battery. If you want to go even further, go to the app's setting page and disable Allow background usage. Just be aware that this could cause notification problems . Sometimes, a myth starts as good advice, then time goes by, and it becomes problematic. You've probably been told by tech-savvy people over the years that leaving your phone plugged in overnight will ruin the battery. It used to be that your phone was effectively topping itself off nonstop throughout the night — dropping from 100% to 99%, charging back up to 100%, and ad nauseam — which is bad news for a lithium-ion battery's health. Nowadays, though, optimized battery charging modes are commonplace. Optimized charging should be enabled by default, but just in case, head to Settings > Battery > Charging and enable Optimized Battery Charging on iPhone. On Android, it's in Settings > Battery > Charging optimization. Your phone learns from your daily sleep schedule, charging up to 80%, then waiting to charge the rest of the way a few minutes before you wake up. Really, the bigger issue here is that people shouldn't be charging their phones to 100% and letting them drop to 0%. Lithium-ion batteries last the longest when you keep them in the Goldilocks zone of 20% to 80% — or, if you're especially dedicated, 40% to 80%. Hopefully, new revolutionary battery technologies will make all this fussing with charging optimization a thing of the past. Yet another piece of wisdom that, if someone told you this 15 years ago, was probably true to an extent. Phone manufacturers used to ship proprietary charging bricks and cables with their devices and often recommended only charging with same-brand hardware for safety reasons. Perhaps you heard a secondhand story or two of someone's phone dying after plugging into a mystery charger. Times have changed. Nowadays, you can charge an iPhone or Android device without the proprietary brick or cable. Smartphones have improved drastically, with built-in protections to prevent battery damage if a brick supports a higher charge level than the phone. It's only when you need fast-charge speeds that using the right brick matters. The real issue is using cheap bricks and cables from questionable companies. In other words, maybe skip that $5 charger you found at the gas station or on Alibaba. Buy from a highly-rated third-party brand like Anker. Invest in that iPhone 3-in-1 charger , and your phone will thank you for it. This goes double for a wireless charger, which can be bad for your phone's battery even if it's a brand-name product. One thing that most certainly is not a myth is how dangerous it is to click on unknown download links. All it takes is opening one malicious executable on your desktop computer to blow the doors wide open for a hacker. Fortunately, smartphones get most of their apps from the tightly regulated, closely controlled Google Play Store and Apple App Store, so they're safe ... right? Not exactly. For years, both app stores have been negligent enough to allow outright malware and scams to be distributed through their platforms. In 2024, Zscaler found 90 malicious applications that had gotten 5.5 million downloads on the Google Play Store — and this is only one report in 2024. The situation isn't necessarily better on Apple's famously strict App Store. In 2019, 18 malware-laden apps slipped through Apple's defenses. In 2021, The Washington Post reported that 2% of the top 1,000 App Store apps were effectively scams. We could keep giving examples, but the evidence makes the point: just because an app is on the official store doesn't mean it's safe. The takeaway here is to "drive defensively" online. Avoid the worst cybersecurity mistakes , whether it's using simple passwords or thoughtlessly clicking on links. Check an app's user reviews and use common sense. If you're getting a weird gut feeling, heed it and keep your distance. Smartphones have given DSLRs a run for their money in the past decade, and you only need a handful of photography tips to take great photos. Thing is, progress has stagnated. Cheap Android phones can take excellent shots, while flagship devices from this year produce only marginally better pictures than their predecessors from five years ago. Despite this, cameras remain the marquee selling point of just about every smartphone these days, and the big statistic they always focus on is the megapixel count. For the layman, it seems fairly straightforward: more megapixels, better pictures. But this isn't necessarily true. More megapixels do produce bigger, more detailed images. Zooming in, you will find more detail in a 24 MP picture compared to a 12 MP one. However, what really makes a good smartphone picture is the onboard processing. The Google Pixel doesn't necessarily have the biggest or best camera sensor, but it did win the top three spots in Marques Brownlee's blind smartphone camera test. It's not about how much money you spend, either. The $1,200 Sony Xperia 1 V produced some of the worst portrait shots in Brownlee's testing. At the end of the day, what matters is choosing a smartphone with processing that produces pictures you like, not a smartphone with top-of-the-line camera specs. Aside from having a phone that supports fast charging, there's not much else you can do to speed up charging. That is (some might say) unless you disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, turn on low power mode, set screen brightness as low as it will go — and most importantly, turn on airplane mode. Airplane mode is touted as a one-tap way to do most of that without creating a shortcut or changing a whole bunch of settings that you'll have to revert later. Or is it? CNET tested this theory way back in 2014. According to them, enabling airplane mode only reduced charging time by about four minutes, and in some cases, 11 minutes. That might seem like an open-and-shut case, but there are a couple of things to consider. One, airplane mode isn't technically charging your phone faster. It disables settings (like Wi-Fi and cellular) that consume energy, allowing more power to go toward charging. But those settings are going to consume varying amounts of energy depending on how strong your Wi-Fi and cellular signal is in a given place. Two, this test was conducted 10 years ago. Smartphones have become much more efficient since then, and the test would need to be replicated on dozens of modern smartphone models to reach a definitive conclusion. Finally, most smartphones take about an hour to charge anyway — making an 11-minute improvement almost negligible — and you'd be robbed of the smartphone's functionality in the meantime. Over the past decade or so, it's come to light (pun intended) that blue light from your phone's screen disrupts your circadian rhythm, making it difficult to fall asleep after exposure to it. To combat this, smartphone manufacturers introduced dark mode and features like Night Shift on iPhone that give your screen an orange hue to help you sleep better. It seemed like we had the problem solved — until recent research. A 2019 study by the University of Manchester suggested that blue light has less impact on sleeping patterns than yellow light, and a 2023 study published in Nature Human Behavior concurred. We may have gone on this blue-light-eradicating craze based entirely on earlier, misunderstood research. So what's keeping us awake, then? Short answer: screens, regardless of color. It makes sense when you think about it. Light (like the sun) tells your body to wake up and be alert, so shining a bright light in your face — your screen — clearly isn't going to help you feel sleepy. Get away from those screens a couple of hours before bedtime. Read a book, listen to some relaxing music, and give your poor eyes a break for once. When 5G started rolling out in 2019, it was supposed to revolutionize mobile data. Instead, many people disable it because it drains battery. What 5G did revolutionize, however, was a new era of disinformation — particularly the scary idea that 5G emits dangerous radiation that causes cancer and headaches. To all the people who believe this, let's be abundantly clear: 5G has no proven, conclusive negative health effects. None. Nada. Zilch. Some studies have claimed to find a link between 5G and potential health issues, but they haven't been replicated enough and are often contradicted by other studies. This isn't to say more research won't change the paradigm later, but extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. A raft of independent, replicable studies would be needed before anyone can credibly claim that 5G is harmful. Anyone who champions the claim of harm despite this is either acting in bad faith or is dangerously misinformed. Humans have been exposed to electromagnetic radiation from cell towers (and many, many other sources) for decades, and there's still no evidence that it's hurting us. If you're worried about harmful radiation, then you are much better off focusing on wearing sunscreen. The evidence is indisputable: UV rays from the sun damage your DNA and increase your skin cancer risk. Never open banking apps or sensitive accounts on public Wi-Fi, people often say, unless you're using a VPN. Otherwise, hackers will intercept your information, steal your money, and leave you high and dry. Except ... no, not really. This used to be true when HTTP (unencrypted web traffic) was the norm and Wi-Fi protocols were weak. These days, the vast majority of websites use HTTPS (encrypted web traffic), and most web browsers warn you before connecting to an unencrypted website. Further, modern devices notify you if the network security is weak. Using HTTPS on properly configured Wi-Fi networks is generally enough to stay safe on public Wi-Fi. The real threat isn't hackers lurking on trustworthy public Wi-Fi networks — it's hackers pretending to be trustworthy public Wi-Fi networks. This is known as an "evil twin" attack. According to NordVPN , hackers go to places with free public Wi-Fi and create a false network with the exact same name — or better yet, provide a free network where none exists. Once you connect to an evil twin, the hacker redirects you to fake websites that mimic the ones you use, like your email or bank account. They skim your credentials when you try to log in, using them to access your accounts. Evil twins pop up anywhere you'd expect to find free Wi-Fi — airports, universities, even your nearby Starbucks — and it's virtually impossible to differentiate a legitimate network from an evil twin. Basically, you should avoid public Wi-Fi as much as reasonably possible. If you can't avoid it, at least don't log in to sensitive accounts or services while using it. Aside from putting bags under seats, buckling up, and watching tired flight attendants teach you how to strap on an oxygen mask, you know you'll inevitably be required to put your phone in airplane mode. We've been told for years that cellphone signals interfere with sensitive equipment, conjuring a scary image of the plane dropping out of the sky just because you were too lazy to toggle it on. But is there any truth to this? No, not really. According to CNN , smartphones not set to airplane mode don't pose a threat to the airplane's signal-sensitive gear. There was some concern in the early days of mobile phones about this theoretical interference, but studies have yet to demonstrate any issues — even after the rollout of 5G, which has so far proven harmless despite its proximity to airline frequencies. One reason for airplane mode may be to avoid disrupting the flight crew. According to Britannica , smartphones occasionally provoke audio artifacts that, while not risky to the plane, can annoy the pilots. Another reason may be to prevent inconsiderate people from being more disruptive than they already are. Imagine how annoying it would be to have a whole bunch of loud, chatty passengers taking calls during a flight that's already uncomfortable. It's a recipe for so-called "air rage." The EU has already allowed in-flight phone usage, so it may only be a matter of time before the myth gets debunked and the U.S. allows the same. Until then, the biggest reason to enable airplane mode (aside from complying with the flight crew) is to save your battery. Your phone wastes a ton of energy searching for signals, which could leave you with a dead battery on arrival. We've discussed how efficient phones are and why it's pointless to close background apps unless they are misbehaving. But this has led to another myth that requires debunking: your phone never needs to be restarted except for updates. This isn't true. Phones, like computers, have apps that suffer memory leaks, experience bugs, and don't always succeed in clearing RAM or resolving issues. These problems can accumulate and worsen performance. Restarting is a quick and easy way to freshen up a sluggish phone. So how often should you restart? About once a week is ideal. It only takes a minute, so set a reminder to do so each weekend. Another reason for this weekly restart comes from the NSA. Ostensibly, certain types of cyberattacks can be thwarted just by powering off regularly. Restarting keeps your phone fast and protected in one simple step. We saved the best for last: The biggest myth that needs debunking is this – updating your phone slows it down. Over the years, we've seen various seeming confirmations that smartphone manufacturers quietly slow older devices in an effort to get people to buy new ones. Apple famously got busted big time with "Batterygate," where it confirmed it was slowing down older iPhones. Many people took this as a cue to stop updating their phones to prevent being throttled by software updates. However, this myth is a misunderstanding of a well-intentioned decision, and heeding it puts you in grave digital danger. It's hard to defend Apple's anti-consumer practices, but as far as Batterygate goes, they were in the right. Worn-out batteries in old devices don't just lose capacity; they also put out less current, which could cause random shutdowns. To prevent this, Apple underclocked older devices. Replacing the battery on an old device is all it takes to bring it back to maximum performance. Updates don't just include new features and bug fixes — they also patch known vulnerabilities. Failing to update puts you at the mercy of hackers, who scan for vulnerable devices within 15 minutes of a vulnerability becoming public. Finally, the apps you use will eventually drop support for outdated operating systems. Trust us, updating your phone is in your best interest.