How-To Geek

Queue depth is one of those SSD-related things that many people don't get or don't care about—but ignoring it isn't a great idea. It's the reason a drive can have some serious bragging rights in benchmarks, but still feel identical to an older generation in day-to-day use.

What are you looking for this weekend? Some pure fantasy or escapism? Or are you in the mood for something more grounded in reality? Maybe a bit of both? The good thing about Netflix is that you can pretty much shake a stick and hit something that covers whatever you're after.

One of the best vehicles I ever drove was my 2016 Fiat 500X, a small and spartan crossover built on the Jeep Renegade platform. The 2.4-liter Tigershark MultiAir engine and nine-speed automatic were an efficient combination, a nice perk for some of the longer highway drives I was taking back then.

Android devices have always come in different shapes and sizes, with designers experimenting with niche ideas and form factors changing with the times. There are many once common conventions that, if reintroduced today, would be thought of as gimmicks. That doesn't mean they weren't good—if anything, it's time for them to make a comeback.

Spending a lot of time in Prime Video's huge library of documentaries can get a bit ... weird. There's a lot in there, from super-specific explorations of Houdini to exposés on the royal family to everything you ever wanted to know about the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.

PDFs are great when you want a document to look exactly the same everywhere. The problem is that the moment you actually need to change something, everything falls apart. Rearranging pages, removing a section, or combining multiple PDFs into a single file should be simple tasks, but most tools turn them into a chore.

Are you planning on building a NAS soon? Well, one thing you should be considering is whether it supports Docker or not. If it does, then there’s one Docker container I always launch on a new NAS, and it’s the first thing I think you should install, too.

If you're one of the many paying for ad-free Prime Video, we have some bad news. Today, Amazon announced two big changes to the service. It's getting a large price increase to $5 per month, and moving forward, it'll be called Prime Video Ultra.

The weekend is here, and that means it’s time to fire up the 3D printer and get started on a project or two. This week’s projects are fun to build and will leave you with something useful that’s worth the cost of the filament used.

Google Maps is one of the best smartphone apps. Its navigation features, live traffic information, and ability to help you find places to go make it incredibly useful. But if you haven't checked its privacy settings recently, it might be tracking you a lot more than you thought. Fortunately, there are some quick settings you can change to bring it back under control.

If you watch new Linux users and their struggles with the system, you might notice some consistent patterns in their behavior. Here are a few common pitfalls Linux newbies fall into.

If you’ve ever done any research before buying an SSD, or scoured tech forums or Reddit, you’ve probably noticed that pretty much no one is a fan of QLC SSDs. While they do fall behind SSDs that use SLC, MLC, and TLC NAND flash, they aren't that bad. Here's why.

The ESP32 microcontroller is a low-cost system on a chip (SoC) that has become hugely popular in the DIY electronics world. They're cheap, versatile, and thanks to ESPHome, they're relatively easy to use with Home Assistant. Here are three ESP32-based Home Assistant projects you can try this weekend.

A 3D printer unlocks a world of custom smart home upgrades. These range from downloadable tweaks for popular devices right through to bizarre models that you’ll need to design yourself. Here are seven ideas to get you started.

System diagrams are designed to create shared understanding among developers before writing a single line of code, but they often end up confusing the stakeholders they are meant to inform. Sometimes, this isn't a too much information problem, it's that they contain information, presented in ways that violate how we process visual hierarchies and relationships. In the long run, these poorly built diagrams increase the risk of design flaws. If your team faces this issue, you can fix them with this four rules.

No matter who you are or what sort of things you do in life, there's a pretty good chance you have to deal with PDF files from time to time. This document format has had its day, and it causes numerous problems on modern screens, yet it just doesn't show any signs of going away.

Most people see USB flash drives as simple tools designed for basic tasks like moving files between computers, flashing new BIOS updates, and installing operating systems. Much to the horror and dismay of my colleagues, I use my flash drives to back up my most important files. While it might not be the best solution, I still refuse to listen.

Amazon, Apple, Google, Samsung. These smart home brands get most of the attention, but there's another one out there making cool stuff that, at least here in the US, is easy to overlook.

As an avid user of AI tools, I was instantly intrigued when I overheard a conversation about AI assistants that Linux users could access and use via a desktop app. The discussion aroused my curiosity because it made me realize that, although I use Copilot on Windows, I don't usually use an AI companion on Linux primarily because, unlike Windows, Linux distributions usually don't have built-in AI companions.

If you’ve ever considered buying a 3D printer, you’ve probably come across Prusa Research and its signature black and orange 3D printers. The brand has a fierce following among enthusiasts thanks to its open-source philosophy and unique manufacturing processes.