Francis 🇬🇭 🇳🇬

full-time photographer • part-time businessman • behind the scene kinda guy • chasing setting sun • it doesn't take the whole day to recognize sunshine •

[YUA @creative_yua]

Your laptop can have 16GB RAM, Core i7 and still be a very bad purchase.

Before buying a laptop, take not of these 10 things:

1.🔹Go for SSD instead of HDD.

SSD makes the laptop significantly faster when booting, opening apps and transferring files. It also doesn't make the spinning noise HDDs make.

You can check by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc → then Performance → then Disk.

2.🔹Having a high RAM isn't enough.

A laptop with 16GB RAM and a weak or old processor can still perform poorly. So it's important to check the processor.

3.🔹 Focus more on the generation of the processor rather than just “Core i5” or “Core i7.”

Never assume an i7 is automatically better than an i5. A newer-generation i5 can outperform an older-generation i7, depending on the specific processors.

When you check the model number for most Intel Core processors, the number immediately after the hyphen tells you the generation.

For example:
i7-6500U = 6th Gen
i5-8250U = 8th Gen
i7-1165G7 = 11th Gen
i5-1235U = 12th Gen
i7-13700H = 13th Gen

4.🔹Don't ignore battery health, especially when buying a used laptop.

To check on a Windows laptop, open Command Prompt and type: powercfg /batteryreport

This will generate a battery report showing the design capacity and full charge capacity. The bigger the gap, the more the battery has degraded.

5.🔹Check the screen quality, not just the size.

A 15.6-inch screen isn't automatically better than a 14-inch one. To confirm, go to Settings → System → Display → Advanced display to check the resolution and refresh rate.

6.🔹Check whether the RAM and SSD can be upgraded.

Some newer laptops have their RAM already soldered, meaning you may not be able to increase it later.

7.🔹Check the ports you need.

USB-A, USB-C, HDMI, SD card slot, headphone jack and other ports can make a difference depending on what you use the laptop for.

8.🔹For a used laptop, test everything.

Don't just open the laptop, see that it boots.

Test the keyboard, trackpad, speakers, microphone, webcam, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, charging port, USB ports, HDMI, hinges and screen.

Open a document and test every key. Play audio through the speakers. Connect to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Plug in a USB device and test the charger.

9.🔹Buy according to your needs.

For browsing, Microsoft Office, online classes and basic work, you don't necessarily need a high-end laptop.

For programming, heavy multitasking or professional software, you need a strong processor and sufficient RAM.

For video editing, 3D work and serious graphics work, you have to pay attention to the GPU, processor, RAM and display.

For gaming, don't focus on RAM alone. The dedicated GPU, processor, cooling system and display matter a lot.

Stay informed
And
Stay sharp! 🪒

['Fisayo Soyombo @fisayosoyombo]

I spent 47 days as one of several thousand African migrants seeking to enter Europe through the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea.

Story on @fijnigeria tomorrow, Thursday and on Friday.

[Francis 🇬🇭 🇳🇬 @joskilaw]

@DamilareDYNAMYT Any short trip like this, jet lag go wan end you

[Francis 🇬🇭 🇳🇬 @joskilaw]

@Mayorkun For hearing

[Chetuya Chinagolum @Chetuyachinago]

Iran is currently sending a historic message to the entire Global South on how to effectively, permanently checkmate Western imperialism.

It is not through submissive concessions. No matter what humiliating economic compromises and draconian IMF austerity measures you eagerly adopt just to please the empire, they will still continue to take, demand, and extract more. Even if you waste hundreds of millions of dollars hiring elite lobbying firms in Washington, Texas, and California to plead your case on Capitol Hill, their geopolitical aggression will never end.

No matter what team of Western-educated economic experts, diplomats, and trade ministers you send to their embassies to politely negotiate bilateral trade terms, investment treaties, and temporary sanctions relief, the empire’s predatory greed remains completely insatiable.

The Global South desperately needs to understand that this imperial greed only accelerates and multiplies the more you try to feed it. Giving Western powers commercial access to your deepwater ports does not stop their aggression because to "defend" that port, they will immediately demand military access to the vast agricultural and strategic lands surrounding the interior.
At first, this perimeter will house just a small handful of logistical personnel, private contractors, and civil engineers who are supposedly working merely to ensure the "safe" maritime passage of Western cargo vessels. The next thing you know, they start installing advanced radar arrays, air defense batteries, biometric surveillance towers, drone launchpads, and private military airfields. Within a decade or two, the empire has literally constructed a heavily fortified, extraterritorial mini-state right inside your sovereign nation, and from this forward operating base, they start systematically devouring your domestic economy from within until there is absolutely nothing left to extract.

Great Britain did not sail across the seven seas in search of equal, respectful trading partners during the bloody days of its imperial expansion. Every single commercial agreement with the British Empire was executed through brutal gunboat diplomacy, unequal treaties, and naval blockades that mathematically guaranteed your domestic GDP shrank into oblivion while their own industrial wealth ballooned to the sky. Such exploitative trade agreements naturally ensured that the colonized citizens tilted into extreme, multidimensional poverty, while British factories, commercial banks, and royal estates expanded uncontrollably.

Today, America operates with that exact same playbook: even though Washington already possesses vast energy reserves, and Venezuela is actively struggling to survive under suffocating sanctions, the imperial machine continues to strong-arm, extort, and force the transfer of every single drop of sovereign Venezuelan crude straight into the deep, insatiable pockets of American oil majors like Chevron and ExxonMobil.

The final solution to all of this geopolitical madness is building powerful, deeply institutionalized state structures to defend the revolutionary government, paired with an indigenous, sophisticated ballistic missile and drone program capable of defending the state from the wrath of the empire. There is no such thing as playing comfortable neutrality in this day and age. As long as you are geographically located in the Global South, blessed with abundant crude oil, lithium, coltan, uranium, and natural gas, Western imperial think tanks already have classified geological dossiers mapping every single square inch of your territory. They already have fully drafted, computer-simulated geopolitical blueprints detailing exactly how to orchestrate a proxy war, trigger a currency collapse, topple your sovereign government, and replace it with an obedient comprador leader who will hand over your raw minerals in pristine condition to Silicon Valley and Wall Street.

So, the historical choice before the Global South is simple: you either endure the economic sanctions today, build internal self-reliance, and develop enough advanced ballistic missiles, subterranean launch sites, and drone swarms to deter foreign aggression, or you foolishly drop your guard and watch your sovereign state get drained, balkanized, and stripped to the absolute bone strictly for the enrichment of global capital.

[sauda moni @sauda_coder]

50 websites that can turn a “quick visit” into hours of exploring 🌍

1. https://t.co/e9MzKtH8Ac — Live satellite views
2. https://t.co/F0sYcAhsEB — Track planes worldwide
3. https://t.co/dlD4FsbeZ5 — Track ships in real time
4. https://t.co/enz2psqLq2 — Live weather & storms
5. https://t.co/6WtqMIyIXO — Live lightning strikes
6. https://t.co/rDjMVuFJ9p — Recent earthquakes
7. https://t.co/2hL9AwpAnD @sauda_coder — Explore internet cables
8. https://t.co/OXUHY0vxtW — Monitor global forests
9. https://t.co/3ykvE8xIQm — Live world statistics
10. https://t.co/WIRyI84z3z — Live internet stats
11. https://t.co/WF9Dt2YTJU — Compare country sizes
12. https://t.co/lkLgao8hPE — Explore historical maps
13. https://t.co/62atEjao3d — Historical map archive
14. https://t.co/0roKo8iBFs — Community-built world map
15. https://t.co/t4SwdWbJzL — Windows around the world
16. https://t.co/upNXry1y9K — Virtual city walks
17. https://t.co/0c5Vd0eMlf — Random places worldwide
18. https://t.co/A07775U3oX — Strange places worldwide
19. https://t.co/2LNjVQBuJG — Fun interactive experiments
20. https://t.co/WE3bRUopQP — Atom to universe
21. https://t.co/BlWzVbrKLO — Explore space in 3D
22. https://t.co/F85rw8lZ7F — Interactive sky map
23. https://t.co/DXt3VwPFml — NASA’s daily space image
24. https://t.co/4NjhLkVJzZ — NASA image archive
25. https://t.co/CKAVlLPXI3 — Interactive data stories
26. https://t.co/y6mFbQxfB7 — Global data & insights
27. https://t.co/DkEF24VHkq — Understand global trends
28. https://t.co/w4FExJsjYb — Data visualizations
29. https://t.co/eJbNAd4SBo — World Bank data
30. https://t.co/xyBlo89HIx — Turkey’s official statistics
31. https://t.co/A1aMVlBPFk — Massive digital archive
32. https://t.co/Mq40zmIIEJ — Free classic books
33. https://t.co/IeLWcbvCzB — Explore millions of books
34. https://t.co/YQD3ttZBoy — Library of Congress archive
35. https://t.co/Ix06KBwQyn — Europe’s cultural archive
36. https://t.co/CgTot9xsnm — America’s digital library
37. https://t.co/STGOC79ra4 — Virtual museums
38. https://t.co/HVjvwXZxdj @sauda_coder High-res artworks
39. https://t.co/11ALJRqB12 — Online art collection
40. https://t.co/C0q1e7mBuK — Historical treasures
41. https://t.co/FzLnwbvNFj — Free culture & education
42. https://t.co/DvnRSpu9PG — Explore the Met collection
43. https://t.co/4LzaPivTOn — Explore music genres
44. https://t.co/YRFJAaEZxr — Music by country & decade
45. https://t.co/KRJ5e0TlCK — Wikipedia edits as audio
46. https://t.co/MD4cssnXHm… — Random knowledge
47. https://t.co/SQ0ZFGnCHI — Time & astronomy tools
48. https://t.co/jVSqK5hoZO — Latest science news
49. https://t.co/DO3rXyKDYD — Free research papers
50. https://t.co/HzGCsimVyk — Interactive data visualizations

The internet is much bigger than your usual feed.

🔖 Bookmark this for later.

Follow @sauda_coder for more useful websites & AI tools. 🚀

[Francis 🇬🇭 🇳🇬 @joskilaw]

@DamilareDYNAMYT Oya na

[Francis 🇬🇭 🇳🇬 @joskilaw]

@DamilareDYNAMYT Abeg make ida mewa reach this side o

[MAYORKUN @Mayorkun]

New Music! “Kaluba” out now! https://t.co/OLYNfdHuXQ

[#AiForJustice @citizen_gavel]

Save this WhatsApp link on your phone so you can simply get a human rights lawyer when you face injustice. This comes at no cost.

https://t.co/rfnP8X3g2F

RT so others can get help too, you will be saving a life.

[Sufyan Maan, M.Eng @sufyanmaan]

PAID VERSION → FREE ALTERNATIVE

1. ChatGPT Plus → Google Gemini
2. Netflix Premium → Tubi
3. Spotify Premium → SoundCloud
4. YouTube Premium → NewPipe
5. Canva Pro → Adobe Express
6. Microsoft 365 → LibreOffice
7. Adobe Photoshop → GIMP
8. Figma Pro → Penpot
9. Adobe Premiere Pro → DaVinci Resolve
10. Grammarly Premium → LanguageTool
11. Midjourney → Microsoft Designer
12. Notion AI → Obsidian
13. Claude Pro → Google Gemini
14. Adobe Illustrator → Inkscape
15. Zoom Pro → Google Meet
16. Slack Pro → Discord
17. Dropbox → Google Drive
18. Adobe Acrobat Pro → PDFgear
19. GitHub Copilot → Codeium
20. CapCut Pro → DaVinci Resolve
21. After Effects → Blender
22. Microsoft Visio → draw io
23. 1Password → Bitwarden
24. LastPass Premium → Bitwarden
25. Webflow → Framer
26. Trello Premium → ClickUp
27. Calendly Premium → Cal. com
28. Audible → LibriVox
29. Amazon Prime Video → Pluto TV
30. Disney+ → Tubi
31. Apple TV+ → Pluto TV
32. Xbox Game Pass → Epic Games Store
33. Final Cut Pro → DaVinci Resolve
34. Adobe Lightroom → Darktable
35. Loom → OBS Studio
36. Typeform → Google Forms
37. Mailchimp Premium → Brevo
38. Zapier → Make
39. Miro → FigJam
40. Google Workspace → Zoho Workplace
41. Perplexity Pro → You com
42. Cursor Pro → Continue
43. Evernote → Joplin
44. Todoist Pro → Microsoft To Do
45. NordVPN → Proton VPN
46. ExpressVPN → Windscribe
47. AutoCAD → FreeCAD
48. Salesforce → HubSpot
49. Shopify → WooCommerce
50. Jira Premium → Plane

AI + CREATOR TOOLS

51. Jasper AI → Writesonic
52. Synthesia → HeyGen
53. ElevenLabs → TTSMaker
54. Murf AI → TTSMaker
55. Runway → Kling AI
56. Pika → Luma Dream Machine
57. Leonardo AI → Playground AI
58. DALL·E → Craiyon
59. Ideogram → Microsoft Designer
60. Gamma → Google Slides
61. Beautiful ai → Google Slides
62. Tome → Google Slides
63. Otter ai Pro → Notta
64. Fireflies ai → Fathom
65. Krisp Pro → NVIDIA Broadcast
66. Descript → Audacity
67. Riverside → OBS Studio
68. VEED Pro → CapCut
69. InVideo Pro → CapCut
70. Camtasia → OBS Studio
71. ScreenFlow → OBS Studio
72. Snagit → ShareX
73. Screen Studio → OBS Studio
74. QuillBot Premium → LanguageTool
75. Hemingway Editor Plus → LanguageTool
76. Freepik Premium → unDraw
77. Envato Elements → Mixkit
78. Shutterstock → Unsplash
79. Adobe Stock → Pexels
80. Epidemic Sound → Pixabay Music
81. Artlist → Free Music Archive
82. Flaticon Premium → SVG Repo
83. Icons8 Pro → Lucide
84. Font Awesome Pro → Heroicons
85. Adobe Fonts → Google Fonts
86. Sketch → Penpot
87. Affinity Photo → GIMP
88. Affinity Designer → Inkscape
89. CorelDRAW → Inkscape
90. Adobe InDesign → Scribus
91. Affinity Publisher → Scribus
92. Adobe XD → Penpot
93. Cinema 4D → Blender
94. Autodesk Maya → Blender
95. Autodesk 3ds Max → Blender
96. ZBrush → Blender
97. Substance 3D Painter → ArmorPaint
98. Pro Tools → Audacity
99. FL Studio → LMMS
100. Ableton Live → LMMS
101. Logic Pro → GarageBand
102. Adobe Audition → Audacity
103. Motion → Blender
104. DaVinci Resolve Studio → Kdenlive
105. Final Cut Pro → Shotcut

MARKETING + BUSINESS

106. Semrush → Ubersuggest
107. Ahrefs → Google Search Console
108. Moz Pro → Google Search Console
109. Surfer SEO → Google Keyword Planner
110. Similarweb → Google Trends
111. BuzzSumo → Google Trends
112. Hotjar Pro → Microsoft Clarity
113. Hootsuite → Buffer
114. Sprout Social → Metricool
115. Later → Buffer
116. SocialBee → Buffer
117. ConvertKit → Substack
118. Beehiiv → Substack
119. HubSpot Marketing Hub → Mautic
120. Intercom → Tawk to
121. Zendesk → Zammad
122. Freshdesk → Zammad
123. DocuSign → SignWell
124. PandaDoc → Jotform
125. SurveyMonkey → Google Forms
126. Airtable → Baserow
127. Asana Premium → OpenProject
128. Monday com → Taiga
129. ClickUp → OpenProject
130. Microsoft Project → ProjectLibre
131. QuickBooks Online → Wave
132. FreshBooks → Wave
133. Xero → Wave
134. Dropbox Sign → SignWell
135. Nitro PDF Pro → PDF24
136. Smallpdf Pro → PDF24
137. CamScanner Premium → Microsoft Lens
138. TeamViewer → RustDesk
139. AnyDesk → RustDesk
140. Dashlane Premium → Bitwarden
141. NordPass Premium → Bitwarden
142. Squarespace → WordPress
143. Wix Premium → WordPress
144. BigCommerce → WooCommerce
145. Elementor Pro → Brizy
146. Divi → Brizy
147. WP Rocket → LiteSpeed Cache
148. Yoast SEO Premium → Rank Math
149. Rank Math Pro → The SEO Framework
150. WPForms Pro → Forminator
151. Gravity Forms → Forminator
152. MemberPress → Paid Memberships Pro
153. Google One → Proton Drive
154. Microsoft OneDrive → MEGA
155. Microsoft Teams → Jitsi Meet

DEVELOPER + TECH

156. Replit Core → StackBlitz
157. Postman Pro → Insomnia
158. Docker Desktop Pro → Podman
159. Datadog → Grafana
160. New Relic → Grafana
161. Sentry → GlitchTip
162. Firebase → Supabase
163. MongoDB Atlas → Supabase
164. Vercel Pro → Cloudflare Pages
165. Netlify Pro → Cloudflare Pages
166. Heroku → Render
167. AWS → Oracle Cloud Free Tier
168. Twilio → Telnyx
169. Algolia → Meilisearch
170. Pinecone → Qdrant
171. OpenAI API → Google AI Studio
172. Claude API → Gemini API
173. WebStorm → VS Code
174. PyCharm Professional → VS Code
175. DataGrip → DBeaver
176. IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate → Eclipse
177. Rider → Visual Studio Community
178. Visual Studio Professional → Eclipse
179. Sublime Text → Notepad++
180. UltraEdit → Notepad++
181. Charles Proxy → mitmproxy
182. Splunk → OpenSearch
183. Terraform Cloud → OpenTofu
184. GitHub Enterprise → Gitea
185. GitLab Premium → Gitea
186. Elasticsearch Cloud → OpenSearch
187. SendGrid → Brevo
188. Mailgun → Brevo
189. Make → n8n
190. PagerDuty → Grafana OnCall

DATA + ENGINEERING + PROFESSIONAL

191. MATLAB → GNU Octave
192. Mathematica → SageMath
193. SPSS → PSPP
194. Stata → Gretl
195. Tableau → Apache Superset
196. Power BI Pro → Looker Studio
197. Qlik Sense → Metabase
198. Alteryx → KNIME
199. Minitab → Jamovi
200. ArcGIS → QGIS
201. SolidWorks → FreeCAD
202. SketchUp Pro → Blender
203. Revit → FreeCAD
204. Fusion 360 → FreeCAD
205. Rhino 3D → Blender
206. MATLAB Simulink → Scilab Xcos
207. LabVIEW → GNU Radio
208. COMSOL → OpenFOAM
209. ANSYS → OpenFOAM
210. Wolfram Alpha Pro → GeoGebra
211. QuarkXPress → Scribus
212. Microsoft Project → ProjectLibre
213. Microsoft Visio → diagrams net
214. Tableau → Metabase
215. Power BI Pro → Apache Superset

MORE FREE ALTERNATIVES

216. Adobe Premiere Pro → Kdenlive
217. After Effects → Natron
218. Final Cut Pro → Kdenlive
219. Adobe Acrobat Pro → PDF24
220. Adobe Express Premium → VistaCreate
221. Canva Pro → VistaCreate
222. Figma Pro → Lunacy
223. Sketch → Lunacy
224. Photoshop → Photopea
225. Lightroom → RawTherapee
226. Illustrator → Vectr
227. InDesign → Scribus
228. Pro Tools → Cakewalk
229. Ableton Live → Cakewalk
230. ScreenFlow → OBS Studio
231. Loom Business → ScreenPal
232. Slack Pro → Mattermost
233. Zoom Pro → Jitsi Meet
234. Discord Nitro → Telegram
235. 1Password → KeePassXC
236. LastPass Premium → KeePassXC
237. Evernote → Standard Notes
238. Todoist Pro → Super Productivity
239. Notion → Anytype
240. Airtable → NocoDB
241. Jira → OpenProject
242. Monday com → OpenProject
243. Calendly → ZCal
244. Typeform → Tally
245. Mailchimp → MailerLite
246. Hootsuite → Publer
247. Sprout Social → Buffer
248. HubSpot → Bitrix24
249. Adobe Stock → Pixabay
250. Shutterstock → Pexels
251. Envato Elements → Pixabay
252. Freepik Premium → Pixabay
253. Epidemic Sound → Free Music Archive
254. Artlist → Pixabay Music
255. Dropbox → Proton Drive
256. Google Drive Storage → MEGA
257. NordVPN → Windscribe
258. ExpressVPN → Proton VPN
259. TeamViewer → RustDesk
260. AnyDesk → Chrome Remote Desktop
261. AutoCAD → LibreCAD
262. SolidWorks → SolveSpace
263. MATLAB → Scilab
264. SPSS → Jamovi
265. Tableau → Metabase
266. Power BI Pro → Metabase
267. ArcGIS → QGIS
268. WebStorm → VSCodium
269. PyCharm Professional → VSCodium
270. DataGrip → Beekeeper Studio
271. Postman Pro → Bruno
272. Docker Desktop Pro → Rancher Desktop
273. Datadog → Prometheus
274. New Relic → OpenTelemetry
275. Sentry → Highlight io
276. Firebase → Appwrite
277. MongoDB Atlas → Neon
278. Vercel Pro → GitHub Pages
279. Netlify Pro → GitHub Pages
280. Algolia → Typesense
281. Pinecone → Weaviate
282. Elasticsearch Cloud → OpenSearch
283. GitHub Copilot → Continue
284. Cursor Pro → VS Code + Continue
285. Zapier → n8n
286. Miro → Excalidraw
287. Trello Premium → Taiga
288. Asana Premium → Taiga
289. Adobe XD → Penpot
290. ProtoPie → Penpot
291. Zeplin → Storybook
292. Adobe Audition → Ocenaudio
293. Camtasia → ShareX + OBS Studio
294. Microsoft 365 → ONLYOFFICE
295. Google Workspace → ONLYOFFICE
296. Adobe Acrobat Pro → Stirling PDF
297. Microsoft Visio → yEd
298. Microsoft Project → GanttProject
299. QuickBooks → GnuCash
300. Xero → GnuCash

300 PAID TOOLS.
300 FREE ALTERNATIVES.

Stop paying for subscriptions when free options exist.

Bookmark this.
Check it before you buy your next tool.

[Eden Hazard @hazardeden10]

Football is back and so am I, but will they recognise me? 👀

BTW what is your discount @JohnTerry26 ? 😜

Let’s go @ChelseaFC 💙

[Francis 🇬🇭 🇳🇬 @joskilaw]

Funny how we don't rate Wyclef Jean as a rapper

[IG @ibrahimygana]

How Ajinomoto a Japanese seasoning company is supplying a critical material for high-performance AI chips.

[Trevoh Chalobah @TrevohChalobah]

After 18 years, it’s time to say goodbye to Chelsea. I arrived as a nine-year-old with a dream, and I leave as a man who’s lived that dream in ways I never imagined. This journey tested me, lifted me, and strengthened me. To every teammate, coach, staff member, and supporter, thank you for shaping me. I gave everything I had, and I’m proud of the person this club helped me become. To the young players: the path won’t always be smooth. But stay ready, stay positive, and keep your faith. God’s timing is always right. Thank you all, truly, with love and gratitude.

[Francis 🇬🇭 🇳🇬 @joskilaw]

@onyeka_chii The finished building the bus terminal at Ojuelegba before moving the shrine

[Francis 🇬🇭 🇳🇬 @joskilaw]

@oluwatobiexe You forgot to mention Man Unkind

[Ihunanya Chi ❤️ @Ihunanya_chi]

When a Muslim tries to preach Islam to a non-Muslim, he almost always has to first bring Christianity down.

They will say things like:
“Jesus is not God.”
“In Islam, Jesus is only a prophet.”
“In Christianity, Jesus is cursed, but in Islam he is highly respected.”
“Christians worship three gods, but Islam has only one God.”
“Jesus came to preach one God, just like Muhammad.”

They have no real substance of their own, so they drag Christianity down in order to talk about Islam.

But when a Christian shares the gospel with a non-Christian, we don’t bring Islam into the conversation.

We talk about Jesus, how He came into the world to die for our sins.
We share the good news of God’s love. We tell them how much God loves them.

You will never hear us talking about Islam, because Christianity stands on its own. We don’t need Islam to preach Christ.

A Muslim, however,often relies on attacking Christianity to promote Islam. They cannot even tell a non-Muslim that Allah loves them, because according to their own teachings, Allah does not love those who are not Muslims.

They have little to offer beyond shouting “God is one” and tearing Christianity down.

I say this because I have witnessed it many times. Islam has nothing solid to stand on.