How-To Geek

Fedora has a reputation as the Linux distribution that gets things right first. A lot of people like it, and I get why. Spend some real time with it, though, and a different picture appears: a fast, modern base system wrapped in a desktop that still expects you to finish the job yourself. I tried it out, and honestly, I don't get the hype.

The Google Pixel Watch is wonderful. It's not only the 'official' smartwatch for Android users, but it also stands on its own with a distinctive look, timely software updates, and long battery life.

According to Jeff Goldblum, life finds a way, but a more accurate take is that life gets in the way. I have so many hobbies that I struggle to find time for, as so much of my day is taken up with work, parenting, and general life admin. While tech is often seen as the villain, there are some ways that tech has finally helped me to do more of the hobbies I love.

With Halloween just two weeks out, Netflix is stocking its shelves with scream-inducing things to watch. Josh Hartnett's and his Newfie accent are making waves with the sea-creature thriller Below, and the Filipino horror series Balaraw: Blood Island is set to arrive on October 29.

I recently rebuilt my NAS around an Intel N100 motherboard. I also have a DAS and another NAS for storing my files. Despite having several storage options, I found that accessing my most frequently used files over the network wasn’t as fast as I wanted. Instead of upgrading everything or replacing my existing storage hardware, I started looking at how I could organize my files differently.

One moment, you believe that Jon Bon Jovi might be your boyfriend, and the next minute, you're sending him thousands of dollars only to find out it's all a scam. Award-winning journalist Mariana van Zeller sets out to uncover the truth behind romance scammers in Super Scam Me, a documentary special coming to National Geographic, Hulu, and Disney+.

VLC has been around since 1996, when Google and YouTube didn’t exist. For nearly three decades now, the orange traffic cone has remained a familiar sight on computers. Several media players and file formats have come and gone, but VLC quietly keeps doing what it does best: playing media without asking you to pay. That longevity isn’t about nostalgia. VLC began as a student project before becoming open-source software that now works across Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. Beyond just handling audio and video formats, it also bundles a collection of built-in tools that don’t require separate plugins or apps.

RCS was supposed to fix texting. I personally held out hope for it, a lot. Yet, years after Google began pushing it, the experience still feels inconsistent and incomplete. What went wrong?

Red Hat gutted CentOS in 2020, and after CentOS 7 reached its final EOL in June 2024, countless servers lost their free, stable foundation. Three distributions, depending on who you ask, are filling that gap right now, each with a slightly different philosophy. Here is how CentOS Stream, Rocky Linux, and AlmaLinux compare, and what each means for administrators today.

Keeping on top of NFL scores can feel like a full-time job. If you're in a fantasy league, it can be hard to know how well you're doing without constantly checking your phone. I decided to build a scoreboard using a cheap ESP32 board to keep me informed while I'm at my desk.

Nothing ruins a long drive like losing 30% of your battery before you reach your destination.

A portable power station, like the Anker Solix S2000, can be a lifesaver if you get caught without power during a winter storm. Your food will stay fresh in your fridge, and you can charge your devices to stay in touch with your loved ones.

The Steam Deck was the first truly successful handheld gaming PC, but the market had multiple competitors well before Valve opened the floodgates and ushered in a new era of handheld gaming. The granddaddy of them all was the OpenPandora, which came out back in 2010. In 2016, GPD released the GPD Win, the first proper handheld gaming PC that ran Windows and was powered by an x86 CPU.

Netflix has a few award-winning movies that make for easy streaming on your weekends. From a Christmas romcom full of overlapping love stories to a high-speed action sequel and a fashion-world comedy-drama, these three films offer something different for everyone.

If your work constantly takes you on the go with your laptop, but you're used to working with two monitors, simple tasks on one screen can feel a little crammed. A portable monitor is the best thing you can invest in, allowing you to take a second screen with you, and one of the best you can get right now is the Asus ZenScreen in its 15.6-inch size. The ZenScreen is already at a generally reasonable price, but right now it's even sweeter, as you can grab one from Amazon for under $100.

Jellyfin is one of the best free, open-source media servers out there. It allows you to stream your movies, shows, and audiobooks without requiring a subscription.

Samsung and Google make some of the best Android phones you can buy. And even though most flagship phones are nearly the same these days, with huge screens and countless cameras on the back, there are important differences. More than ever, those come in the form of software, and here are a few things my Galaxy S26 can do that my Pixel 11 Pro XL can't.

Proxmox has become the go-to distro among the self-hosting community because it is easy to use, feature-rich, and reliable.

You might recognize the GEEKOM name from the mini PCs the brand makes. But, did you know that GEEKOM also makes laptops? I've spent the past few months with the GEEKOM GeekBook M16 and I have to say—I'm impressed.

What do you get when you combine an ear-biting champion, a deadpan comedian, and the rarest hip-hop album ever made? One hell of a weekend of documentaries on Netflix, that's what.