How-To Geek

You no longer have to be picky about where you hail a Tesla robotaxi in its flagship city, provided you aren't too picky about when your ride arrives. The company has confirmed that its "unsupervised" service now operates across the "entire" Austin metro area.

American luxury SUVs used to be all about excess. Bigger engines, bigger dimensions, and enough chrome and leather to make sure everyone knew you'd arrived.

With new vehicle prices continuing to climb, genuinely affordable transportation has become increasingly difficult to find. The days of sub-$20,000 new cars are effectively over, leaving budget-conscious shoppers with fewer choices than ever before. That makes the remaining value-focused models more important, especially for buyers who simply need dependable transportation without taking on a massive monthly payment.

There's one streaming app on my smart TV that was a pain to watch. It was always buffering or even throwing me out of the content completely and resetting to the start of the episode so that I'd have to try and find where I'd gotten to again. A cheap network switch was the solution to my problems.

If you went by many reviews, Pixel phones would reign supreme if Google simply upgraded their spec sheets: faster chips, newer cameras, and larger batteries. And those do need updates, as Google has been held back by sub-par Tensor performance and tech that sometimes hasn't changed for years.

These days, cloud storage feels more limited than ever. It's expensive, fragmented, and locked behind various tiers. Meanwhile, our storage needs continue growing, as the 3-2-1 rule relies on external storage, and for many of us, that just means cloud backups.

Sports cars are supposed to be emotional purchases. They're meant to make you smile before you've even turned the key, blending sharp styling, engaging performance, and a sense of fun that practical vehicles simply can't replicate. Few cars embody that philosophy better than Mazda's beloved roadster, which has spent decades proving that driving enjoyment doesn't require massive horsepower or an exotic price tag.

The calendar has turned to June, and summer is almost officially in full swing. Many of the major streaming services, including Prime Video, do not release their biggest shows during this period, electing to save them for the fall or spring. This makes it the ideal time to catch up on shows you might have missed during the year.

Have you ever wondered what the purpose of a managed Ethernet switch was? I wondered that for years until I finally used one. Managed Ethernet switches are extremely powerful in a homelab, and mine has completely changed how I connect computers to the internet.

Nanoleaf is synonymous with the smart desk and wall lights that YouTubers and Twitch streamers love, but it's pivoting away from them toward robotics and AI — and just secured a big merger to help make that happen. OneRobotics, the owner of smart home heavyweight SwitchBot, has agreed to acquire Nanoleaf for $40 million.

If you've got a new pair of headphones, but the sound quality is barely better than what you've got on your old pair, you're not imagining things. Android often defaults to Bluetooth settings that prioritize stability and low latency over pure sound quality, which can hold your audio back. If music quality matters to you, it's worth tweaking the settings to maximize sound quality.

I spent hundreds, if not thousands of dollars overbuilding my homelab over the years. I really wish I didn't do that. Here's what I wish I did, and why I think you should follow in my (untaken) footsteps.

I've always been the kind of DIYer who ends up with a lot of weird problems to solve. Between cars, motorcycles, vintage arcade games, pinball machines, guitars, and the endless list of things that break when you own a home with a small farm, there's always something that needs attention.

I've been using Linux exclusively on my workstation for almost four years now. But well before that, I had tried (and failed) to make the switch for just as many years. I'd like to share the many mistakes I made along the way and what I learned from them.

If you're using Windows Terminal for WSL or Powershell, there are some features from Linux terminals that you might miss. Fortunately, it's easier to customize Windows Terminal than ever. Here are some tweaks that can make it behave more like Linux terminals.

One of Google’s oldest Pixel-exclusive features is the ever-present “Now Playing” music recognition. It also happens to be one of the most difficult to hack onto other Android phones. Thankfully, there’s already a built-in solution that’s almost as good.

There's no doubt that Google Sheets has closed the gap on a ton of everyday spreadsheet tasks. However, Microsoft Excel still offers a handful of specialized power tools that set it apart. From automated data cleaning to heavy-duty optimization and brilliant layout tricks, these features are a big reason Excel still leads in many workflows.

Espressif’s ESP32 series is the go-to choice for many people looking to take on microcontroller-powered projects. Not only are they cheap and versatile, but they’re also available in a variety of configurations for just about every need.

Did you know that an estimated 75% of all American silent films have been lost? Over 90% of the films made before 1929, and about 50% of American films made before 1950.

Be honest: When did you last check your Ethernet cables? If the answer is "probably not since I've installed them," I can't blame you. I also didn't care about the state of my wired connections until they finally backfired and prompted me to investigate.