How-To Geek

When Wayne's World ran with its hilarious spoofing of product placement in movies, it was almost prophetic. Today, it's hard to look past some of the immersion-breaking product spots in major films, and there's seemingly no end in sight.

If you're a programmer, particularly in data science or analysis, you've probably suffered headaches over the packages included in a Linux distribution. What if there were a way you could have a separate programming environment for your projects that was isolated from the system without having to set up a virtual machine? Mamba might be what you need.

Right now, you can snag the ASUS Vivobook 14 at Best Buy for an impressive $320, which is a massive $280 off its usual $600 price tag. This excellent deal makes it an great time to grab a reliable laptop without breaking the bank.

Farscape is—and I don't want to undersell it—one of the best sci-fi TV shows to ever grace our screens. When most sci-fi TV shows just gave use dudes with thick makeup, Farscape (with the help of Jim Henson's puppets) gave us actually alien aliens. The only other show that came close was Babylon 5, but that's a story for another day.

Microsoft has pushed generative AI features into every corner of Windows 11, but most of them aren’t actually useful to most people, and some of them are actively distracting or harmful. Thankfully, the latest addition is actually great: a ‘Describe image’ feature.

Whether your TV is brand new or 20 years old, chances are it has a remote control that uses IR (infrared) light to work. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but there are many things that annoy me about IR remotes, and, honestly, there are better ways to control devices at a distance these days.

Despite various woes in both the gaming hardware and software department, one place where Microsoft has always been the undisputed leader in gaming (in my opinion) is when it comes to accessibility.

Most people overlook Android tablets, but Samsung makes some of the best ones in the segment. They can also often be just as expensive as an iPad, though. Now, you can grab a Galaxy Tab S9 for under $500. Not the most recent model, but it will suffice for most people.

Generative AI continues to penetrate every area of human creative artistry, and while image and video generation has received the most public attention, music-generating AI have been progressing at a steady pace.

Whether you're into esports or just a casual gamer, upgrading to a gaming mouse can give you a small edge over the competition. And while gaming mice can get expensive, the fancy ASUS ROG Keris II Ace is down to only $100 on Amazon. This mouse is ultra-fast, durable, lightweight, and available at a 44% discount.

Razer has just released two new docks for Thunderbolt-capable PC laptops. The Razer Thunderbolt 5 dock adds more connectivity options and multi-monitor support to your laptop over a single cable, while the Core X V2 is a new external graphics card enclosure.

Linux Mint is one of the most popular and most recommended Linux distributions for users new to Linux. We're going to walk you through the installation process step by step so you'll know exactly what to expect.

When it comes to compact luxury sedans, three names dominate the conversation: Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. Each brand brings its own blend of performance, refinement, and prestige to the table, making the competition fierce for buyers seeking a premium driving experience in a smaller package.

Virtual reality technology is at a critical point, full of potential that has not yet been fully realized. While it may seem like first-person experiences are the future of VR, there’s a whole untapped market that could help VR dominate the industry.

A slow change is coming to the Linux kernel, and it’s as fundamental as it gets for programmers: the very language they write in. Such an impactful move has to be handled carefully, but it’s cause for celebration.

When filming a documentary in recent months, I needed an efficient way to share files with team members in the field. The SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable with USB4 is the fast, rugged, and compact external SSD that’s powered it all, even if it technically underperforms.

On paper, video games should be more successful than ever before. Gaming is now a massively profitable industry, the technology behind new games is constantly improving, and the sheer breadth and quality of new releases is greater than it's ever been. And yet, the industry has never been in a more dire state.

There are some accessories for the PlayStation 5 that everyone can agree are useful—like the official DualSense Charging Station. Others are less popular, like the PlayStation VR 2, but it has a clear purpose. However, how many people do you know that have actually bought the PS5's Media Remote? Well, count me among them now!

One of my main complaints about Windows 11 is that it comes with a lot of bloatware. While there is no certainty as to when Microsoft will stop or even limit the number of bloatware apps included with Windows 11, they are now offering a way to remove most of these apps during a new installation.

Like many geeks my age, I've felt the need for the warm glow of a CRT display in my life again, and I'm now up to three of these glass sirens, calling me back to my childhood. This has been great for video games, but what about old standard definition TV shows?