How-To Geek

Smart thermostats are a great way to save money. They give you control over your heating, allowing you to change the target temperature based on the time of day or turn off the heating when you're away from home. While my smart thermostat was saving me money, I was still using more energy than I needed to.

Do you spend most of your time in the terminal? Are you always on the lookout to improve your terminal-fu? If you're like me, you love learning new ways to solve problems, because they introduce concepts you never imagined before. I have five one-liner terminal commands that solve common issues, and perhaps they'll introduce new concepts to you, too.

Amazon is renewing its push into your living room by releasing two affordable smart home devices, including its answer to Samsung's popular The Frame TV.

If you've been ignoring the Copilot icon on your task bar, you're actually closer to Microsoft's own disclaimers than its marketing. From unreliable Excel functions to terms of service that claim the AI is for "entertainment," it's time to see the truth: Copilot is a distraction you don't need.

Your NAS is, a lot of the time, the kind of device that you normally keep out of sight as you only hook up to it over a network. Whatever you do, though, don't think the perfect "out of sight" place is a closet. Let me explain.

When it comes to devices like eReaders, there's little reason to buy a new one unless your current model is broken beyond repair. It's a digital book. All it has to do is allow you to read comfortably. Not even battery degradation can bring these devices down, because they're light on power demand and easy to replace.

Sometimes on Linux you need a working instance of Windows just to do a quick task that can only be done in Microsoft's operating system. If you want to make that process as speedy as possible, check out Quickemu.

In theory, it sounds like it should be easy to get away from Google. There are alternative phones, different email services, a dozen cloud photo apps, and more video sites than I can count. Despite the variety of options, I still can't completely get away from Google no matter how hard I try. These are the services that keep pulling me back.

For a very long time, GIMP was the answer. If you wanted a free image editor, and you cared at all about open-source software, that was the app people pointed you toward. It was powerful, flexible, and established enough that it always seemed like the obvious choice.

For years, Android smartphones have offered users two main navigation methods: gestures or the old 3-button system. If your phone doesn't default to the newer gesture controls, it's likely an option when you set up a new phone. I'm still using 3-button navigation, and according to all my co-workers, I'm a monster that's stuck in the past.

The Raspberry Pi isn't designed to be a full desktop replacement, and trying to use one as a full desktop replacement probably sounds like a bad idea. However, with a few upgrades, the right operating system, and some lightweight software, you can turn a Raspberry Pi into a decent desktop replacement.

If you've been feeling like Windows has slowly stopped working for you, you're not imagining it. The OS you grew up with has been quietly shifting its priorities, and what you're left with doesn't feel like the same deal you signed up for. Thankfully, there are better options available now—and one of them has gotten good enough that the switch makes all the sense in the world.

Spider-Man is one of the most important and popular superheros of all time. He is easily the most recognizable Marvel figure and has received constant media adaptations, both live-action and otherwise. Although many of the Spider-Man films are extremely popular, the cartoons are where the Wall Crawler truly shines.

Google Pixel phones aren't the most powerful you can buy, but thanks to Google's expertise with software and a willingness to experiment, they come loaded with a range of features you can't find in other phones. These are four of the best features Pixels have that iPhones don't.

Rust has become one of the hot new programming languages because it combines the ease of programming and memory safety of languages like Python with the performance and execution speed of C and C++. It's no surprise that developers have jumped on it to create real applications. Here's a grab bag of applications, ranging from simple terminal apps to games.

Your smart home can do a lot more than just turn on your lights or control your heating. It can also help you monitor your health. Paired with the right devices, you can use your smart home to track health metrics, spot trends, and help build healthier habits.

Home theater setups can be as cheap or expensive as you want them to be. A basic setup might include a soundbar and some surround speakers, while a more expensive setup could have a dedicated projector, surround speakers, ceiling speakers, and multiple subwoofers. If I had an unlimited budget and the right space, these are the components I'd add.

GNOME is my favorite desktop, not just among the options available for Linux, but anywhere. While I'm glad that I can install GNOME extensions flexible enough to change the entire interface, here's why I choose not to.

3D printing has never been more accessible. You no longer need to be an enthusiast with the patience of a saint, modern printers take care of bed leveling and calibration for you, and even have smartphone apps for control and monitoring.