Technology

Toyota's affordable sports car proves more popular than the Mazda Miata

How-To Geek - 37 min ago

For decades, the Mazda Miata has been the default answer to one question: what is the world’s most beloved affordable sports car? Its lightweight design, approachable price, and reputation for driving fun made it the undisputed champion of entry-level performance. But recent sales trends suggest that crown may be slipping. Toyota’s own budget-friendly sports coupe is now outselling the Miata, signaling a shift in what buyers want from a modern enthusiast car.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I’ve spent 20 years in the auto industry—and still made this used-car mistake

How-To Geek - 52 min ago

I’ve spent 20 years in the automotive industry, from training dealership staff to representing global automakers on the auto show circuit. Since 2015, I’ve written about the latest makes, models, and marvels as a journalist. I should be the last person to get trapped by a bad vehicle purchase, but I once made a rookie mistake that no factory warranty or above-and-beyond service could fix.

Categories: IT General, Technology

These 5 open-source tools make Windows navigation feel twice as fast

How-To Geek - 1 hour 7 min ago

We spend countless hours using computers for fun and for work, and most of the time, we're stuck using the default interface and controls. Here are 5 tools will make using Windows feel easier and faster.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Home Assistant just moved a key feature—here's how to bring it back

How-To Geek - 1 hour 37 min ago

The Developer tools feature in Home Assistant is an essential part of the smart home software. You can use the tools to check and update the states of devices, to perform actions, and check your configuration is workable. Unfortunately, this useful feature has disappeared from the Home Assistant sidebar in a recent update, but it's possible to restore it to its original location.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The used luxury sedan that blends BMW performance and Honda reliability

How-To Geek - 1 hour 52 min ago

Luxury sedans are often defined by a tradeoff: thrilling performance on one side and long-term reliability on the other. Buyers typically choose between European models that prioritize driving excitement and Japanese brands known for dependability. But one used luxury sedan manages to bridge that gap, offering sporty character inspired by BMW while delivering the kind of reliability more commonly associated with Honda.

Categories: IT General, Technology

One Piece season 2: Everything we know about Netflix's popular live-action show

How-To Geek - 2 hours 7 min ago

After a 3-year wait, it is finally time to step aboard the Going Merry again asOne Pieceseason 2 is on the horizon. Despite past controversial Netflix live-action anime adaptations, their retelling of Eiichiro Oda's beloved fantasy manga defied expectations when it released in 2023, turning newcomers like me into dedicated fans and pleasing longtime followers alike. As Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) continues his hunt for the fabled treasure of Gol D. Roger, season 2 will descend into new territories, with season 2 being subtitled "Into the Grand Line."

Categories: IT General, Technology

Why your USB flash drive slows to a crawl: The hidden trap of tiny caches and thermal throttling

How-To Geek - 2 hours 37 min ago

Even with the existence of cloud storage, cheap USB hard drives, and blazing fast portable SSDs, thumb drives are still a fact of life. You've probably got quite a few laying around your house, and they are still readily available online.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Why the Toyota Corolla Cross is the smartest budget SUV

How-To Geek - 3 hours 7 min ago

When the Toyota RAV4 hit the U.S. in 1996, it proved you didn’t need a hulking SUV to get real utility. Affordable, practical, and built to last, it quickly carved out a lane that bigger rigs couldn’t block.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I switched to an open-source router and there's no turning back, here's why

How-To Geek - 3 hours 36 min ago

Do you remember when you purchased your Wi-Fi router? Probably not. If you're like most people, you likely got it from your ISP some years ago. Here's another question: when was the last time you updated its firmware? Never? Highly likely.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Vinyl records are inferior to digital—you should buy them anyway

How-To Geek - 3 hours 37 min ago

Vinyl records aren't the most convenient or accurate music medium out there, and they certainly cost more than a streaming service. Despite their disadvantages, I still buy them, and you should too.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Stop hunting for a Microsoft Publisher replacement: You're already paying for one

How-To Geek - 4 hours 6 min ago

Microsoft is killing Publisher in October 2026. But before you start shopping for a replacement, or worse, signing up for another subscription, open PowerPoint.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Google resolves glitch serving ads to YouTube Music Premium users

Mashable - 4 hours 19 min ago

YouTube Premium subscribers who were promised an ad-free experience for $13.99 a month were met with jarring mid-playlist advertisements this week, in what appears to be an apparent Google snafu.

The glitch was first flagged by premium users who were listening to YouTube Music on their Google Home and Nest devices, Android Authority reported. On the Google Home subreddit on Feb. 20, users reported ads appearing consistently even after resetting their devices, suggesting the issue was at the account level.

SEE ALSO: OpenAI may sell $300 smart speaker with camera — in 2027

Users also reported experiencing long pauses before songs played, low volume, casting problems, and issues with their YouTube Music algorithm. One user said they had been experiencing issues with home devices playing YouTube Music for the last year, prompting them to cancel their account. "They must've botched a release," wrote another user.

The official Google Nest Community account initially responded to the complaints, saying it was investigating the reports, though it did not mention the ad issue specifically. "We are aware of an issue with playing YouTube Music on some Google Home devices. We're investigating and will provide you an update as soon as we can. Thank you for your patience," the post read.

In a follow-up comment, the Google community account said the issue had since been resolved and asked users to flag any recurring problems.

Google is in the midst of an overhaul of its smart home ecosystem, including new Gemini-powered smart speakers and Nest products like indoor security cameras.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Wi-Fi extenders are a waste of money: A budget mesh system is the ultimate fix

How-To Geek - 4 hours 37 min ago

Mesh router technology is probably the biggest quality of life upgrade for home networking since the first Wi-Fi router was plopped down in a house. It brings wireless networking technology to our homes that used to be enjoyed exclusively by big businesses with well-staffed IT departments. Now, however, you can just order a mesh Wi-Fi kit online and have it the next day.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Pay for your Android apps—here are 6 I'm glad I bought

How-To Geek - 4 hours 52 min ago

Most of us don’t want to pay for software, which is how we’ve ended up with intrusive ads and free-to-play addiction traps. But for just a few bucks, your mobile experience can be much, much better. I pay for my Android apps, and here are some I can easily recommend as being worth their price.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to find resource-hogging processes using the Linux command line

How-To Geek - 5 hours 7 min ago

Every piece of code running inside your Linux computer needs RAM and CPU cycles. A process taking more than its fair share slows down other processes. Here’s how to find the culprits.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Don't set up Nginx Proxy Manager—use this instead for your Homelab

How-To Geek - 5 hours 7 min ago

Are you looking for the best way to open your self-hosted services up to the internet? Whether you’re wanting to host your own website at home or play Minecraft with friends, Cloudflare Tunnels is what you should use—not Nginx Proxy Manager.

Categories: IT General, Technology

These 5 Netflix dramas are set in Washington DC—find out where they actually filmed

How-To Geek - 5 hours 22 min ago

When it comes to political thrillers, one location stands above the rest: Washington, D.C. As the capital of the United States, it's the center of the nation's politics. Nearly every major decision that affects Americans happens within the District of Columbia.

Categories: IT General, Technology

4 PowerShell commands that fix common Windows problems fast

How-To Geek - 5 hours 37 min ago

I have a lot of Windows machines in rotation, most running Windows 10 or Windows 11, and it feels like I'm always fixing something. One PC is low on storage, another is dragging at startup, and somewhere in the house a network connection has decided today is the day it stops cooperating. After years of bouncing between Settings panels, Control Panel relics, and half-buried system menus, I got tired of troubleshooting the slow way.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Why a $30K Infiniti QX60 is a smarter buy than most luxury rivals

How-To Geek - 5 hours 52 min ago

The ability to accommodate up to seven passengers, a comfortable interior with plenty of storage, and a higher ride height when compared to a sedan. Owning a three-row luxury SUV offers a number of benefits, and the Infiniti QX60 is a strong contender in this category.

Categories: IT General, Technology

U.S. government creates website to get around European content bans

Mashable - 6 hours 6 min ago

Following the revocation of President Donald Trump's sweeping foreign tariff plan, the violent deployment of ICE agents around the country, and amid the shocking release of the Epstein Files, the Trump administration is reportedly also waging a war on what it sees as international content censorship.

"Information is power. Reclaim your human right to free expression. Get ready," the current homepage of freedom.gov reads, adorned with a small animated Paul Revere animation. A venture of the U.S. State Department, exclusively reported by Reuters, the new government site is rumored to be the landing page for any content that is currently blocked by foreign powers, a way to bypass strict content laws across Europe, Brazil, and even Russia.

SEE ALSO: Government shutdown won't affect your 2026 tax return

Notably, the European Union has a much more severe stance on extremist propaganda, including white supremacist and neo-Nazi content. Many countries have cracked down harder on such topics as they face a rise in right-wing political parties. The EU also tightly regulates terrorist propaganda and "harmful disinformation" on social media platforms — X owner Elon Musk has previously aligned himself with far-right parties across the region.

The project is run by Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers, who has repeatedly met with right-wing movement leaders abroad, and the domain has been linked to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) under the Department of Homeland Security, the Guardian reported.

Previously, the State Department funded the Internet Freedom project, which supported anti-censorship initiatives around the globe. The Trump Administration has shrunk the project's funding and recently pulled the country from the global Freedom Online Coalition.

"It feels mostly performative," a former U.S. official told the Guardian under anonymity. "It reads more like a combative policy declaration. [U.S. government] disagreements with the EU on free speech are nothing new as a matter of policy. But a portal of this kind takes it a step further, declaring publicly that the USG is concerned with freedom of expression even among our allies in Europe."

Insiders say the website was supposed to debut at the Munich Security Conference, but was allegedly delayed due to legal and foreign policy concerns, Reuters reported. A source told the publication that the department also discussed adding a VPN function that would route all user traffic through the U.S., presumably to get around location-specific bans in certain countries. That same source said that the webpage would not track user activity.

A State Department spokesperson denied the claims by insiders, adding that the U.S. government "does not have a censorship-circumvention program specific to Europe." The source clarified: "Digital freedom is a priority for the State Department, however, and that includes the proliferation of privacy and censorship-circumvention technologies like VPNs."

Despite alleged concerns, the site remains active. And, as its homepage promises, "freedom is coming."

Categories: IT General, Technology
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