How-To Geek

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We explain technology. Learn more with our articles, reviews, tips, and the best answers to your most pressing tech questions.
Updated: 1 hour 15 min ago

I tried a hardened Linux kernel so you don't have to

1 hour 25 min ago

Most Linux users never think twice about the kernel running under their system. It just works. But for those who want stronger security guarantees, there's an alternative worth knowing about—and living with it taught me more than I expected.

Categories: IT General, Technology

6 AV receiver settings you may have screwed up

1 hour 35 min ago

AV receivers can be finicky or hard to understand at first, so it's easy to mess a thing up or two during setup. Here are some settings to check if you're having any audio problems in your home theater.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Why I’m disabling these 3 "useful" features on my Kindle

1 hour 40 min ago

When it comes to reading, I’m kind of the queen of it, at least in my family. You really can’t find me without a book at my side, headphones in my ears blasting an audiobook, or, in this case, an eReader in my hands. My Kindle and I have come a long way since I started, and there have been some great times so far.

Categories: IT General, Technology

4 Prime Video TV shows you can binge in a day

1 hour 56 min ago

Whether you’re sick, playing hooky, or just taking a mental health break, nothing recharges the body’s batteries like a good day of rest. The best way to get that, at least as far as I'm concerned, is to settle in on your couch and binge-watch a good TV show.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Your 'High Output' Milwaukee battery is overkill for your drill—Match your battery to the motor

2 hours 11 min ago

When you're busy on a home repair, DIY project, or renovation, do you just reach for the biggest battery pack for your power tools? If so, you might not be doing yourself any favors. If anything, it only weighs you down and makes things more difficult than they need to be.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to use Claude with Obsidian to quickly build a second brain (prompts included)

2 hours 25 min ago

Ever tried building a second brain, only to abandon it three weeks in? I have—more times than I’d like to admit. Capturing ideas is the easy part; organizing, tagging, and maintaining everything is where it falls apart. But I’ve found a cheat code: using Obsidian to capture ideas while Claude handles the organization. Here’s how my system works—and the exact prompts I use.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The best upgrade to my home network only cost me $13

2 hours 56 min ago

It's easy to spend a lot of money on your home network in an attempt to make it faster, more stable, or more flexible. Faster Wi-Fi standards and upgrading to a mesh router system can all give your LAN a big kick in the pants.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I want to love Google Pixel's new Comfort View, but it's missing one critical feature

3 hours 11 min ago

Earlier this year, Pixel phones got several cool new features. Aside from finally giving the Now Playing feature its own app, there were also a number of Gemini upgrades, but buried under all those additions was one small feature that noticeably improved the experience of using my Pixel phone: Comfort View.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Stop using third-party cleanup apps, Windows already has better built-in tools

3 hours 26 min ago

We've all been there. Your PC starts to feel sluggish, or you're staring at a "low storage" warning, and the first instinct is to reach for a third-party cleanup tool. I've done it more times than I'd like to admit. Install it, run a scan, watch a bunch of "issues" pop up, and hope it magically fixes everything.

Categories: IT General, Technology

A single $500 payment could cut months off your car loan—here's why

3 hours 42 min ago

Finding yourself with a bit of extra cash is a great feeling. Maybe you landed a raise or a promotion at work, put in a few extra hours on a side hustle, or spent a weekend helping a friend or family member move. When that unexpected money hits your account, it’s good to pay down debt when and where you can, and your vehicle is a good place to start.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The reMarkable Paper Pure is a faster, longer-lasting E-Ink tablet for no-frills notes

3 hours 52 min ago

After expanding into color with devices like the Paper Pro, reMarkable is back to black-and-white. The company has unveiled the reMarkable Paper Pure, a third-generation E-Ink tablet that catches up in performance without making you pay for the color display you might not need.

Categories: IT General, Technology

DVD recorders were objectively better than VHS—so why did nobody buy them?

3 hours 56 min ago

Do you remember LaserDisc? It was an optical format with twice the resolution of VHS, and it was clearly the superior medium for home movies, yet VHS absolutely dominated it. The most plausible explanation for this I've heard is that VHS allowed people to record TV programs to watch later and that buying home movies wasn't something they knew they wanted.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Stop using bloated apps: These 5 terminal tools are all I need for work

4 hours 26 min ago

For any job you can do on Linux—or Windows—there are at least a dozen GUI apps that can do what you want. However, to keep distractions to a minimum, I use the terminal for most of my day-to-day jobs, and I don't miss out on any productivity.

Categories: IT General, Technology

My local smart home hub was perfect until I moved it across the room

4 hours 56 min ago

I am suspicious of cloud services, so much so that I avoided the entire premise of a smart home until the Matter standard eventually presented me with a local-only option. Yet in the process of living with a local-only hub, I’ve encountered some issues that you just don’t face when your smart home platform is based in the cloud.

Categories: IT General, Technology

This is the Windows storage feature I wish I started using years ago

5 hours 26 min ago

To some degree, every Windows user should know at least some basic drive optimization. And in that regard, the OS has a bunch of party tricks you can use for that purpose. One of the most overlooked ones is Storage Sense, but what is it, and should you actually use it?

Categories: IT General, Technology

4 things you need to know about Taylor Sheridan's Dutton Ranch on Paramount+

Tue, 05/05/2026 - 23:00

Saddle up, boys and girls, because the Yellowstone universe is expanding once more with a new spin-off that also acts as a direct sequel to the mothership series. It will follow Dutton matriarch Beth (Kelly Reilly) and her husband Rip (Cole Hauser) as they embark on a new path together on their new ranch outside of Montana.

Categories: IT General, Technology

These are the first Alexa+ speakers that aren't made by Amazon

Tue, 05/05/2026 - 22:43

Months after Amazon made Alexa+ available through its own devices, it's now coming to third-party hardware.

Categories: IT General, Technology

5 excellent HBO Max shows to get you through the work week (May 5 - 10)

Tue, 05/05/2026 - 21:46

Looking for a good show on HBO Max this week, to put on after a long day of work? The legacy prestige service is definitely known for its iconic series of the past, but it still has mojo for new shows—like Hacks, The Pitt, and Rooster, and more coming this month, too.

Categories: IT General, Technology

De-Googling Android is simpler than you think—no special phone required

Tue, 05/05/2026 - 21:31

I recently swapped out my beloved Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 for a de-Googled Android phone, but I was devastated to learn that my group chats would no longer be accessible. I’ve since switched back to regular Android, but I’ve learned a much simpler way to de-Google in the process—one that comes with fewer compromises.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I thought sleep earbuds were a waste of money—now they're my favorite pair

Tue, 05/05/2026 - 21:01

I'm someone who regularly sleeps with earbuds in my ear, but the thought of buying earbuds specifically for sleep has long seemed hard to justify. After all, my current buds were functional, so they were good enough, right? No. I was not right. Sleep earbuds have become my favorite, most important pair of buds.

Categories: IT General, Technology

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