How-To Geek

When I tell you I lived in a world of just physical books for so long, I mean it. I grew up reading the physical editions of the Harry Potter novels, went through years of required reading in high school with physical books, and, of course, was introduced to special editions because of BookTok. Why would I need anything like an e-reader?

Streaming media is so easy these days, but it can get pretty expensive. Albums, films, and shows can also sometimes disappear with very little notice, which just kind of sucks when you're trying to listen to or watch your favorite things. There’s a reason dedicated media servers exist. And I'm a media hoarder, so I take this sort of thing seriously.

ShellCheck is a code verifier that spots bugs, incompatibilities, and other problems in shell scripts. It’s valuable because few similar tools exist, and shell programming can be particularly flaky, with portability concerns and different syntax changes introduced over time.

The cars and trucks Americans drive are aging, and they’re doing so at a record-breaking pace. According to the most recent S&P Global Mobility data, the average age of vehicles on U.S. roads has climbed to 12.8 years, the oldest ever recorded.

As a writer, I love to read, and I think everyone should read a real book from time to time. But watching TV is definitely easier and more popular, and there are plenty of books that have been turned into amazing TV shows: the following may be even better than the books they originated from.

The conventional wisdom when it comes to motherboard BIOS updates has always been that unless there's something wrong with your PC, it's best to just leave it alone. Yet, you can expect a new BIOS update becoming available every year or two following a motherboard's launch.

SIM cards are a relic of an age where multiple people had to share a single phone, and the cards themselves were enormous. These days, SIM cards are tiny and technically unnecessary thanks to the rise of eSIMs.

It’s that time—when the weather is starting to get just a little warmer, and you know what is beginning to sound good? Reading a nice book outside as the sun shines down on you. What if you don't have a Kindle subscription, but you want a new book to check out?

The first computer my family owned was an 80286 IBM clone, and it had lots of ports, none of which looked the same. There was a big 5-pin DIN for the keyboard, a serial port, a parallel port, a game port for our joystick, and of course, the VGA port for the monitor.

If you’re cross-shopping the Tundra against the Ford F-150, Ram 1500, or Chevy Silverado 1500, the best place to start is by getting a feel for its extensive lineup. Overall, the 2026 Toyota Tundra can be everything from a rugged work tool to an executive-level cruiser, offering a mix of twin-turbocharged power, off-road capability, and unique styling.

One of the most frustrating parts about digital streaming can be how easily costs add up. When you subscribe to a handful of services a month, you can easily lose track of cumulative expenses amid price hikes, inactive subscriptions, and forgotten sign-ups.

I had a Galaxy phone that was better than my Pixel by almost every measurable standard. Better chip, better display, more features, more customization—the list goes on. Yet, here I am, back on the Pixel. And it wasn’t because Samsung did something wrong, but because one app—one I had never thought twice about.

Manually re-sorting your Excel tables every time a score changes is a waste of time. The RANK.EQ function automates leaderboards by assigning positions instantly. Whether you're tracking sales or race times, here's how to keep your data dynamic and accurate.

For over a decade, I’ve written about Windows Phone (RIP), iPhone, and, my main squeeze, Android. But there’s one beloved operating system missing from that list: webOS. 17 years after the Palm Pre hit the market, I’m finally trying it for the first time.

In today’s world of online media, streaming is just as big as cable, if not bigger. And that means now, if you have so many streaming services to pay for, you’re most likely going to be paying the same price as cable.

There are a lot of great smart home devices you can buy right now, but there are some I wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. These are some of the devices I would definitely avoid.

I've been stuck dual-booting Linux and Windows for years because—despite huge improvements—there are still a handful of applications that won't run on Linux. CachyOS made me rethink that approach with a feature that allows me to easily run almost any Windows app as if it were a native Linux app.

If you’re not content with only powering your smart home with Home Assistant, you might be interested to learn that the platform has a few other tricks up its sleeve that expand its sphere of utility.

Mini PCs are often essentially laptops without a screen. They're compact, packed full of components, and optimized around making do with minimal airflow.

I get excited whenever Microsoft drops a new Excel function, but when I'm in the trenches with a deadline, I reach for the classics. There's a certain comfort in knowing a formula will work exactly as expected every time.