How-To Geek
You missed the best true-crime documentaries of 2025—here's where to watch them today
True-crime documentaries are always a sure-fire hit on any streaming platform. 2025 saw the release of some doozies—beyond the usual SEO suspects, such as Chaos: The Manson Murders, American Murder: Gabby Petito, and The Fall of Diddy—that proved to us the true crime genre is moving in a direction that values education over exploitation.
My dream Google Chrome extension didn't exist, so I vibe coded it with Claude
I consider myself to be an expert procrastinator. Over the years, I've tried no shortage of tools and techniques to fix this problem. Pomodoro timers, distraction blockers, minimalist writing apps. Most of them are well-designed and do exactly what they claim. They help you track time and encourage focus. What they don’t do is enforce it.
Stop using a VPN to bypass region blocks (this cheaper alternative won't ruin your internet speed)
The internet is global, but thanks to a complex set of pre-internet rules and legal agreements, there are virtual borders in place that restrict what you can see and do. Sometimes, it is also useful to appear as if you're accessing the net from a different location than you really are. In both cases, the preferred tool is a VPN or Virtual Private Network.
I gave Android Auto another shot—here are 5 ways it's improved since I last used it
I experimented with Android Auto for a while, but I just wasn't terribly happy with its performance. Recently, however, all of that changed. I decided to give Android Auto another shot, and here are five ways it's improved since I last used it.
These 5 PC upgrades cost pennies to 3D print instead of buying
If you have a 3D printer sitting idle, it’s time to put it to work. Your PC gaming setup can be made so much better by printing instead of buying off-the-shelf parts. Here are five things that you should definitely 3D print before you ever consider buying.
Your router has a secret menu that exposes which device is killing your Wi-Fi
Even having a super speedy fiber connection won't make you immune to various bottlenecks. The reality is that if you use the internet, you're bound to have some issues with it at one point or another. For many, this can lead to a long stretch of frustrating troubleshooting that ends in an annoyed phone call directed to your ISP.
5 Linux commands that replaced my desktop apps
For most people, the Linux terminal is where you troubleshoot issues or run sudo commands—not a place where you do your day-to-day work. I used to think the same way until I stumbled into the world of TUI (Terminal User Interface) apps—terminal-based tools with real interfaces. I tried a few, and while most didn’t stick, these five did. In fact, they’re so good they’ve replaced several graphical desktop apps I used before.
I stopped mourning Google Reader after building the perfect self-hosted RSS server
Being an avid reader on the modern internet sucks. After the disastrous pivot-to-video debacle of 2015 and experiencing the excessive amount of ads, pop-ups, consent forms, and overlays that plague modern websites, I yearn for the days of Google Reader and the simple RSS feed.
I never leave the house without this $8 gadget, and it's not just for charging my phone
Let’s set the scene: your phone or some other gadget is on its last battery percentage, and even though there’s a USB port nearby, you don’t actually have a cable to use it. I’ve run into that situation more times than I can count, so I picked up a tiny USB-C keychain cable that I can carry everywhere, and it’s been way more useful than I ever could’ve expected.
Harry Potter’s new full-cast audiobooks are better than any TV reboot could be
I have a confession—I am a Potterhead.
Stop struggling with big phones: Android's hidden one-handed setting changes everything
I've never been a big fan of big phones. Sure, they can almost completely replace your PC if you want them to, but they just aren't that convenient to use on the go. At least, that's what I used to think. I've finally started using Android's one-handed mode, and it's so good that I can't remember why I never used it before.
How to turn images and screenshots into Excel data
Manually typing data from a printout or a screenshot into Excel is time-consuming and error-prone, but you can skip the data entry grind by letting Excel do the heavy lifting. Whether you're on your phone or your computer, the Data from Picture tool turns image rows into digital cells in seconds.
Why my favorite smart home upgrade is a $7 smart plug
There are so many smart home devices these days, it's hard to know where to start. A lot of smart home devices can be expensive, but a $7 smart plug is still one of my favorite smart home upgrades.
You are overpaying for your network setup (6 Ethernet marketing lies)
Ethernet is the backbone of any healthy home network and you're probably not using enough of it. It's the gold standard for home networking, but it's also often misunderstood.
5 Home Assistant integrations that make my smart home feel like it came from the future
It's amazing how many of the futuristic features that I saw in sci-fi shows growing up already exist. Video calling and talking watches seemed like the stuff of fantasy, but now they're so ordinary we barely register them. The same is true of smart home tech; there are plenty of Home Assistant integrations that often make me feel like I'm living in the future.
How to organize your Obsidian vault using Claude (prompts included)
Your Obsidian vault was supposed to be your second brain—but at some point it became a second junk drawer. Routine maintenance can keep things tidy, but if you’re anything like me, you probably enjoy capturing notes more than organizing them. The good news is you don’t have to untangle it manually. Claude can scan your entire vault and reorganize it into a clean, logical structure in the time it takes to make coffee.
Stop installing random GNOME extensions—this one is perfection
Similar to Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, the free and open source GNOME desktop found on Linux PCs can be radically customized using extensions. Which extensions are worth installing is a matter of taste, but there’s one that I can easily recommend to just about everyone.
I've owned an OLED TV for 8 years—here's how I prevented burn-in
I bought my Philips OLED television eight years ago, but I have yet to have any real bleed-in, burn-in, or anything close to it. It is thicker than TVs you can get today, and its quality has dropped over time, but there's nothing else wrong with it. My experience shows that while the risks are physical, you can manage them. Getting the best picture quality requires more conscious care than other technologies do, but the organic panel can last a long time if you have the right habits.
Don't buy a Kindle until you've tried reading on these 6 devices you already own
The Kindle is the go-to choice for anyone who wants to read eBooks. But if you don't already own one, don't rush out to buy it just yet. You already own a lot of devices that work pretty well as eReaders, and some might even suit your needs better.
The Obsidian plugin that turned my notes into an actual second brain
I used to think that every captured thought, meeting note, and research snippet helped create a complete personal knowledge management system in Obsidian. It pushes the daily notes so you can make a "second brain." Unfortunately, the more information I captured, the faster my vault turned into a fragmented mess. My notes were stuck in strict folder structures, not connected, making it a frustrating memory test to find something. I got really frustrated when I realized I spent more time keeping my knowledge system working than actually using the information in it, at least, before I learned about the plugins.


