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 8 min ago

I tried living like it was 2005—here’s the tech that still holds up

Sun, 11/16/2025 - 13:00

I was 18 for most of 2005, and I have fond memories not only about that time in my life but also the technology that came to define it. So is this pure nostalgia, or is there something desirable about a simpler time?

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to use the VHS command to turn a Linux terminal session into a beautiful, compact GIF

Sun, 11/16/2025 - 12:30

Have you ever seen those GIFs that animate the command line and wondered how they look so good? Or seen a tiny GIF and wondered how they're so small? It's not as difficult as you may think, and I address both with two easy-to-use commands.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Your gadgets are spying on you, here's how to catch them in the act

Sun, 11/16/2025 - 00:00

By now, it's common knowledge that if you have a device—whether a fridge or a smart TV—it's collecting information about you and sending them back home. It's not controversial anymore.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Why digital photos from the 2000s are disappearing (and what you can do about it)

Sat, 11/15/2025 - 23:30

It might not feel like it,but digital photography is still relatively new. Yet once the digital shutterbug bit, everyone was taking photos all the time. The thing is, those digital photos from the early 2000s are at risk of disappearing forever—here's why.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The small American SUV that’s currently outselling its Japanese competitors

Sat, 11/15/2025 - 22:30

America’s smallest SUVs don’t usually steal the spotlight, but one model is quietly dominating the segment, even outperforming some of the most established Japanese nameplates. Its surge in sales isn’t a fluke; it’s the result of smart packaging, strong value, and features that resonate with buyers who want more for less.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Your childhood video games are literally rotting away in storage

Sat, 11/15/2025 - 22:00

Retro gaming and collecting retro games is all the rage right now, but there are some among us for whom there's never been a break between "retro" and modern gaming. Their retro collections come from simply never getting rid of old games, but keeping them.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Is it possible to build a future-proof media library?

Sat, 11/15/2025 - 21:00

There's always some tension between those who don't care about keeping a personal collection of media and those who want to control and maintain certain titles to access and watch whenever they want, without third-party dependence.

Categories: IT General, Technology

E-Ink displays are finally having a moment, here's why

Sat, 11/15/2025 - 20:30

When it comes to display technology, the two most important and prolific technologies are LCD and OLED. E-Ink is a completely different approach to creating images on a screen, but no one thinks of it in the same breath as LCD or OLED.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The one setting I always disable on any smartwatch

Sat, 11/15/2025 - 20:00

In theory, an always-on display can help a smartwatch look and feel more like a traditional watch. Personally, I’ve always felt smartwatches look better when that screen turns off. I don’t get the hype. To my eyes, an always-on display is a battery life hit for almost no benefit.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Beware these hidden costs of free streaming services

Sat, 11/15/2025 - 19:30

Streaming started out as an affordable alternative to cable or other traditional paid broadcast services, but over the years, fragmentation, inflation, and perhaps even a touch of greed has made streaming no less expensive than what it supposedly replaced.

Categories: IT General, Technology

3 Bash scripting techniques every Linux user should know

Sat, 11/15/2025 - 19:00

Have you been thinking about biting the bullet and learning Bash scripting? Or perhaps you're like me, and you're always looking for ways to improve. I have three tips that will improve every Bash script you write.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I fixed all of my Plex remote streaming issues with these 7 simple changes

Sat, 11/15/2025 - 19:00

Are you having troubles streaming movies and TV shows remotely with Plex? There are a few things to check to make sure your media server is set up correctly.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The forgotten art of burning discs (and why it still matters)

Sat, 11/15/2025 - 18:15

It might shock you to learn that I have burned over 100 optical discs in the past year, but that's just a fraction of how many discs I burned at the peak of physical media storage.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Spotify lossless is secretly wasting your phone's storage

Sat, 11/15/2025 - 18:00

You’re a Spotify Premium subscriber who’s just toggled on the new lossless playback option to hear your favorite tracks in richer detail. Maybe you notice the difference; maybe you don’t. But one thing you do notice is that since going lossless, your phone’s free storage seems to be shrinking.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Why I’ve given up on buying the perfect 3D printer

Sat, 11/15/2025 - 17:30

Buying your first 3D printer is a big decision. You’re about to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a hobby that you’ve yet to fully commit to, and you’ll probably doubt your decision right down to the moment you click “Pay.”

Categories: IT General, Technology

7 surprising ways to repurpose your old Chromecast

Sat, 11/15/2025 - 17:16

Got an old Chromecast sitting in a drawer unused? It doesn't matter if you no longer need it for streaming, there are plenty of other ways to make use of it. So connect it to your TV, update the software, and try one of these ideas to repurpose your old Chromecast.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I went all in on Home Assistant—here's where it has let me down

Sat, 11/15/2025 - 17:00

There is so much I love about Home Assistant, but I still have to fall back to Samsung SmartThings more often than I'd like. As sad as it makes me, I’m running into enough issues that I can’t yet commit to Home Assistant being my one and only smart home platform.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Valve's Steam Machine has one major advantage over the next PC hybrid Xbox

Sat, 11/15/2025 - 16:30

Microsoft's taking a different tack with its next-generation of Xbox hardware, and it seems this might be putting it on a collision course with Valve and its Steam platform.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Here's why btop++ became my favorite Linux terminal resource monitor

Sat, 11/15/2025 - 16:15

You've probably used top and htop for many years, and while they've served us well, it's 2025—modern software has moved on to more functional and visually appealing designs. Both top and htop feel outdated and could use a modern refresh, which is exactly what btop++ brings.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I can't believe I watched YouTube for so long without this extension

Sat, 11/15/2025 - 16:00

For too many years, I merely accepted YouTube's flaws—a feed plagued by Shorts, annoying automation, and a bloated UI. Now, thanks to one simple browser extension, I finally have the personalized video platform I always wanted.

Categories: IT General, Technology

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